A Token of Affection
by Moriyasha Neko-hime
Summary: Returned from Hell, Neuro must now set about ensuring his freedom by capturing Yako and making her his bride. Little does the Demon suspect just how much of a challenge this will be. /SEQUAL TO Anatomy of Affection./
1. A Shared Breath - A Short Distance

**Hello again, mah Peeps!**

**I'M SORRREEEEEEEE! PLEEZE FORGIVE MEEEEEE! I'M SOOOOO LAAAAAAATTE! **

**I meant to have this up right away, but no sooner than I got my spirits up about finding a new job, than I once again was left without employment. (TTxTT I hate being jobless.) Anyway, that dropped my inspiration levels several notches and built up a serious block for a long while. But that was a couple months ago now, so I felt really, really, REALLY bad about leaving you guys hanging.**

**Sorry about the delay. Things are still pretty erratic—I write better when I'm working—but I was finally able to finish part one of the continuation.**

**And with that said, ONWARD!**

**Oh, yeah. I DO **_**NOT**_** OWN MAJIN TANTEI NOUGAMI NEURO**

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**A TOKEN OF AFFECTION**

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**01 -**

"**A Shared Breath" [A Short Distance]**

Everything is always crowded at the airport. Because there are so many people coming and going, worn out by their travels, trying to find their luggage and the right exit, no one really cares to notice what else might be going on around them.

Even so, there were a few who happened to see them. A child hanging off her father's arm. A tourist waiting for his flight home. A flight attendant coming in to work. Their eyes simply strayed in the right direction to see them.

A young woman, not yet twenty years old, of Japanese descent stood before a tall man dressed all in blue. The man stood two heads taller than the girl and looked European—maybe—with greenish-blond hair with a black fringe. Small hair beads hung from the ends of his hair and shimmered gold and silver when they caught the light. Overall, seeing them together was a rather odd picture.

But as they stood there, neither of them said a word. They just looked at each other, eyes never leaving the other's face, and remained totally silent amidst the racket of the airport.

It wasn't that they didn't want to speak to each other, the people who saw them had a sense they had a million things to say. But rather, they didn't need to say anything at all. That even silence between them was enough to express themselves.

Side by side, they left the airport. The girl hefting her large bag, the man carrying nothing and not offering to help her.

Not once did either of them say a single word.

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Yako dropped her bag by the door with a relieved sigh as she entered the office.

Jetlag was always the worst part of travelling, in her opinion. Normally, she collapsed once she reached home or the office and wouldn't move for a couple hours. Afterwards, she would eat something and catch up on anything she had missed while away.

But with the familiar, 'Not Human' presence beside her, Yako felt more calmed than ever before in her three years of traversing the globe. Not that she expected the sensation to last very long, considering it was a real Demon trailing after her. Not just a Demon, but none of than the 'Brain Eater' Neuro.

Yako remembered before he left that Neuro had mentioned the difference of the time axes in Hell and the Human World. She vaguely wondered how long it had been for Neuro, as he didn't look the slightest bit older or changed in any way, but quickly decided not to dwell on it. He was a Demon, after all. Things like the passing of years didn't necessarily apply to someone like him, even if the time axis was the same as hers.

Crossing the room to the loose piece of wallpaper on the other side of the office, Yako took the small braid of bleached hair from her grinning hairclip and returned it to the body embedded in the wall. Almost like a snake, the braid slithered back to the head, returning to its original length and ebony color to rest and recuperate.

"We're home, Akane-chan," Yako smiled to the lightly waving braid. "You rest up for now. I'll text Mom and everyone that I'm back, okay?"

Surprisingly, she no sooner said this than her phone rang. Pulling her touch phoned from her pocket, sliding the screen to answer the call, she smiled at the sound of her Mother's voice. "Heya, Mom. Yep, I just got back to the office. No, everything went just fine…"

As she went about recounting her trip, the blue-clad Demon noted the slight changes to the office. Moved furniture—the sofas and coffee table had been pushed further to the left—additional furniture—Akane's desk was bigger, and the TV and computers were up to date—the new color of the walls—no longer that off-grey color, now a very pale, almost-white blue—and the many plaques and medals that hung on the wall to the right of the blood-red desk, Troy. Interested in some of his Human's accomplishments, Neuro moved to read the awards and found not all of them were from Japan. There were a few from the British, the French, American and even Spanish governments.

Looking back to Yako, visibly older and slightly more polished, Neuro felt the slightest brush of approval that she had been able to gain recognition from all over in the world.

But that was soon overcome by boredom. Now that he was settling back in, the bland atmosphere needed some spice. Fortunately, Yako had been kind enough to lay plenty of rather heavy objects throughout the office. His green gaze immediately spotted the items atop Troy: A smooth paperweight of clear stone, embedded with a blue rose; a big, black coffee mug; a stapler.

Deciding on the stapler, a familiar tool for his purposes—pleased that it was slightly heavier than his older ones—the Demon tossed it straight at the unsuspecting young woman talking on the phone, currently standing with her back to him.

Neuro would never admit to the genuine surprise he felt cross his face. His eyes widening, making the green of his gaze more prominent than the black, and the slight pallor to his face from the shock. All of it was missed by Yako, so he doubted that she would later ask about it.

But the head of wheat-gold hair tipping to one side, avoiding the stapler meant for her skull, was not so easily dismissed.

She hadn't seen him, with her back so foolishly offered to him. But she hadn't reacted to the stapler hitting the wall. She didn't pause in her conversation. She hadn't even turned to look at him.

It was a fluke. She had probably seen something small and insignificant—possibly shiny—that had caught her attention, and hadn't even noticed the projectile sailing past her head. That was all.

Opting for the coffee mug this time, Neuro put some force into throwing it directly at Yako's head.

Again, she slipped to one side at the last minute, narrowly avoiding the ceramic death that ended up smashing against the wall.

And still, she went on talking as if nothing had happened. No reaction to the sound, no cut in her banter at all. Though this time Haruka had heard the crash over the phone and must have asked about it, because Yako laughed. "Oh, I just bumped something and knocked over a coffee cup. I think it broke…"

As she reassured her Mother of a simple accident, Yako finally turned to look right at Neuro. And meeting his other-worldly gaze, she smiled at him. It wasn't like her friendly smiles, her uncomfortable smiles, her forced smiles, or even her fearful smiles. This was a smile he was not used to seeing on her face, but was very familiar with.

This was the teasing smile of someone who was amused by the antics of child.

_She_ smiled that way at _him_. And then had to audacity to turn her back to him again. Dismissing him as if he were anyone.

Eyes aglow, teeth flashing within a wide grin, Neuro picked up the heavy paperweight and hurled it straight at her.

"Mom, I gotta go," Yako said, pulling back to avoid the object and letting it smack the wall. "I'll see you tomorrow when I come home."

Ending the call, she turned just as Neuro threw one of the plaques on the wall. She just barely managed to block it with her arm, but he finally managed to hit her.

"How rude, Yako!" Neuro chided smoothly. "Ignoring me for so long. And on top of that, you even had to gall to deliberately dodge!"

Picking up the plaque—hissing at the pain in her arm—Yako passed the Demon to return it to the wall. She didn't say anything in retort. She hadn't really said anything to him for the past ten hours. Admittedly, most of that time he had been hanging on the outside of the plane and she had forced herself to ignore him, but even so she had yet to say a single thing to Nougami Neuro.

It was so strange. Seeing him again, hearing his voice after so many years. Even his odd scent was so familiar and strange, she wasn't entirely sure what she should say or what she should do.

When they had stood across from each other at the airport, she had been at ease. They hadn't said anything because they didn't need to. It was like that moment in the back of Godai's truck, all of three years ago. Perfect understanding passed between their eyes and they just knew.

Now, back at the Katsuragi Yako Detective Agency, things didn't feel so clear-cut.

It had been three years. What should she say? How should she act?

She decided to check the mail to buy some more time. A few utility bills. Two or three letters from friends outside of Japan. Junk mail. Food coupons. Nothing of particularly importance to warrant much thinking.

Certainly less important than the revived Demon watching her every move, but she found herself struggling a little to settle in and chose to overlook him. She was certain she couldn't do that for much longer, it would get dangerous all too quickly.

Leaving everything on Troy, Yako headed back for the door and picked up her bag. "Akane-chan. I'm feeling tired, so hold any calls or requests, okay?"

The black braid waved lightly from the wall, excusing her boss as Yako left the office.

"Going home already?" Neuro smiled peeking his head out the door. "Planning to leave me to my own devices so quickly?"

"No, I'm too tired to head home. I'm going upstairs," Yako replied as she headed for the end of the hall.

Curious, the Demon saw no harm in following her. Taking the stairs rather than the elevator, passing a couple doors to one in particular, Yako unlocked it and stepped inside.

Neuro recalled that most of the building was empty rooms left in assorted conditions of disorder, ranging from being simply bare to completely unusable. But this particular room was made up into a sort of apartment—there was a small wardrobe of Yako's clothes and a cork board littered with photos and newspaper clippings. There was a small bookcase with several books ranging from fiction to law books, as well as a laptop on the bed. The small fridge in the corner likely contained more than it looked, considering the Human's appetite. There was TV at the far end of the room, and a bed closer to the door.

"Were you kicked out by your Mother?" The Demon asked. "Too many men come calling late at night?"

"No," Yako replied dryly as she dropped her bag by the bed. Grabbing the remote off the bed, she turned on the TV and changed the channel to see the weather. "I tend to keep pretty busy. And since I started to travel around during school vacations, sometimes it takes too much effort to get back home after a long trip. So I converted this room into a small living space for when I can't find the energy to make it back home."

Accepting that as surprisingly sensible for his Human, Neuro let his eyes wander throughout the room. As it was a living space only at odd times, he knew there would be nothing important—no real personal effects beyond the clothes, the pictures on the board and the laptop. It was enough for a Human to get by in. 'Cozy' Neuro supposed would be the right word.

"Do you bring many men up here?" The Demon grinned. He could only smell Yako throughout the room, but saw no harm in getting a rise out of the girl. "Two or three at a time, maybe?"

"I think only my Mom, Kanae, and Godai have been up here—they helped me move everything in," Yako replied, easily dismissing the inquiry as she sat down on the edge of her bed. She sighed gratefully as she finally slipped off one shoe and just let herself relax before fighting with the other shoe.

Neuro was steadily growing bored with Yako's easy flow and flexibility. While he was gone, perhaps she could have adapted and learned some martial and diplomatic skills for her own protection. But her general lack of reaction was starting to irritate him. He wanted to see some explosion of emotion, watch her thrash about as helpless as a fish on a line. Indeed, he didn't have too much at his disposal with all of his traps dismantled—as per her promise to do so—and she was proving to be far too balanced to upset as easily as before.

But he decided that finding new triggers should prove to be a little fun.

It was when Yako stepped out of her other shoe with a sigh, standing up to stretch, that the Demon noticed something funny.

"You've grown."

She looked up, not incredibly surprised to find Neuro standing right in front of her. "What was that?"

Neuro smiled, raising his hand to the top of her head and measuring her height. "You've grown taller. About 5.3 inches."

Yako was a little surprised that the Demon cared to notice something like that. But she couldn't help smiling a little, knowing that she had grown in more ways than one. Intellect, relations, reputation, so much had grown with her over the years. She would have proudly said as much…

…Had Neuro not ever so lightly tapped her chest with his knuckles, as if knocking on a door. "Though I can't say you've grown any _bigger_."

"You ass!" Yako threw one of her shoes as his head angrily. She just became even more upset when he easily dodged it. As happy as she had been under his vague praise, she was fifty times more enraged that he still felt the need to pick on her about certain things.

"I'll have you know that a lot of women would kill for my figure!" She said hotly, wielding her other shoe as a weapon as she pursued the Demon across the room. "I have maintained a perfectly healthy lifestyle and have an even weight! And plenty of people have told me that I am thin enough to make a life as a _Model_! So don't you _dare_ poke fun at my bra size, _of all things_!"

And she had, _too_, grown down there!

Neuro laughed a little as she chased him with her shoe, fully intending to beat him to death with it. That she thought she could actually harm him in any way with such a mediocre weapon was hilarious. But what he truly found delightful was the familiar rage coming off his Human, directed solely at him.

Now he had her full attention. What to do with it…?

Catching her by her arms, he stopped her murderous chase. Pulling Yako forward, trapping her against him, Neuro held her head firmly in place. From another vantage point, it might have looked like he was holding her to him kindly. But from where Yako was, he was practically smothering her against his chest.

"Now, now, Slug…" He chided amiably as he held her head in place. "Don't be so self-conscious. It's just some strange occurrence, with some women, where their breasts don't grow past a certain point." Neuro chose to ignore the patting against his arm. "After a while, your breasts will start to sag, but being so miniscule to start with, no one will really notice." Yako's patting became an incessant beating as air became scarce in her lungs. "After all! One can't mourn the loss of something that was never there."

Yako tilted her head back and took in a desperate gulp of air. Of course, being around the Demon, the oxygen she took in had the distinct odor of sulfur as well as something unidentifiable. As she fought to breathe, Yako couldn't help remembering a similar moment, three years ago, when he was too weak to stand up and instead pulled her down. Back then, she had almost been afraid that he would break under her hands. Now, she could once again feel that terrible strength that was beyond imagination. The 'Brain Eater' Neuro was back again. And whether that meant Hell in her future or not—not that she thought anything _but_ Hell awaited her—Yako would live with it.

"I hate you…"

Neuro's familiar, shark-at-midnight grin spread across his face at her words. "Three years you waited for me, and _still_, I am unappreciated," he sighed dramatically. "It hurts my poor heart, something dreadful."

"Liar," muttered Yako. Accepting that she wouldn't break free of his embrace any time soon, she awkwardly returned it. She didn't let her arms go all the way around his middle, but she felt an odd comfort just holding him. "Knowing you—however long you were actually in Hell—you spent more time worrying about _missing_ all the trouble I was getting into more than actually worrying about _me_."

"That is very much untrue," the Demon said. "I was too preoccupied with a whole other matter entirely to be concerned with either of those things." He noticed Yako's pointed stare from within his arms. There was a momentary silence. "Well…perhaps there was _one_ very _minor_ thought about you, leaning more in the direction of what you could get into without me around."

"Just one," the young woman smiled, satisfied that she had made a very small victory against her Demon. "Well, that's fine, too. At least you thought about me."

Neuro found Yako's thought oddly amusing. "Why, slug… It almost sounds as if you missed your Master."

"I missed my _Partner_, Neuro," she said, managing to pull back just a bit as his arms relaxed. "Huge difference."

The Demon wondered if she would remember. He was pleased, but also tentative with the fact that she had. He doubted she understood the full implications that word had now. He doubted she would be aware of everything that had to be done, what had to happen between them. He doubted she would actually realize how significant she was to his survival, his being able to eat and his freedom. He doubted that she would comprehend just how important she was.

So he decided then and there that he wouldn't tell her. Less trouble for them if they just carried on as usual.

"There are customs to greeting each other in this realm, aren't there?" Inquired Neuro, his voice dark and pleasant as he leaned his face closer to Yako's. "Some sort of contact between two people who have not seen each other for a good while?"

"You're already hugging me, Neuro," the young woman replied flatly.

Had he not been holding her, the Demon might have missed the quickened pace of her heartbeat due to her mild expression. His smile became sharper at the new rhythm and he held her closer. "Then you can do something else."

Yako tried to ignore the warmth that spread through her, because she knew exactly what he was demanding. For him, it might not have been very long at all since they last saw each other. But for her three years had gone by without him, without his constant demands of her attention and his inconstant kisses. She saw little point in trying to withhold it, but she wasn't about to just give in.

Leaning forward just a little bit, Yako kissed the Demon lightly on the cheek. She was a little startled to feel the small shock of electricity from the cool metal of his Demon Batteries against her own cheek, but was glad that the sensation wasn't not wholly unpleasant.

Of course, the 'Brain Eater' was hardly satisfied with just that and grinned pitilessly at her. "You can do better."

"Now that, I wouldn't know," Yako mused wistfully. "Since you left, I've only ever kissed one other person. Lovely trip, last year. London—"

She had noticed the very slight rise to the Demon's hair before his hold on her tightened. He was still smiling, but his obvious displeasure made the expression dark around the edges. But unlike many times in the past, Yako wasn't about to roll over and apologize.

"London is really pretty around Christmas time," she went on with surprising ease. "It was a mistletoe kiss, but not bad, I suppose. Considering the one I got it from. I don't have anyone to compare to but—you… But—"

This time, the pressure on her small body was too much to ignore. She vaguely wondered if she had pushed it a little far, but in the end decided it didn't matter. She wasn't going to apologize, and even if she did, he wouldn't likely accept it.

"Oh, so my little Human has been off gallivanting about the globe, seeking pleasantries with strange men," Neuro sighed dramatically. "How sad. I thought I trained you better than that."

"So… You wouldn't have much to say if I actually did bring men up here?" Yako asked, with some strain, as he had yet to relinquish his hold. "You have problems with my foreign relationships more than my local ones?"

"And in what way shall I interpret that, louse?"

"Oh, I'm 'louse' again, am I? I thought I was promoted to 'top slug'."

"You didn't seem pleased with that title," said Neuro. "So I felt that something more familiar and lower level would make you feel better."

Really, the Demon was displeased that his Human actually had formed relations of the more physical type. It was fine for him to tease her about it—he had been looking forward to her reactions—but it was disappointing to discover that some faceless male had touched his property. With her consent, no less.

"Right. Yeah. Sure." Yako finally sighed, realizing he wouldn't let her go without some sort of request for forgiveness. "Neuro, my ribs were cracked a couple months ago and you're making them hurt again. Could you please loosen up, just a little bit?"

Neuro was immediately interested, even if he didn't relax his hold. "Going about the globe doing battle, bread-crust?"

"Pretty much, yeah," she sighed. "Yakuza and jewel thieves in Japan. Serial killers in France. Vampires and Grim Reapers in Europe. The occasional guerilla group in Brazil. Regular stuff. There's generally more 'negotiator' business than detective business, but—"

"Vampires and Grim Reapers?" The Demon's look was skeptical, but amused all the same. "Really?"

"I'll introduce you, if you're polite," Yako offered.

"Not interested," Neuro replied evenly. He wasn't about to be distracted from the disloyalty of his Human actually kissing someone that was most certainly not himself. And as she had yet to greet him properly, he was entitled to some compensation for his return.

He finally released Yako from his hold and she felt her body relax from the strain. But she had little time to rejoice in the proper use of her lungs before her air was once again cut off. This time, however, she felt his hand go all the way around the back of her neck as he pulled her forward and caught her lips with his.

It was so sudden, and it had been such a long time, she couldn't help letting her eyes shut. But she still fought a little as he attempted to deepen the contact between, keeping her mouth as firmly shut as her eyes. The feel of him under her hands, the smell of him all around her was strange and familiar. She couldn't remember if it had felt like this before, but she had the sensation that she would have clearly recalled if it had been.

It felt as if he was trying to hold her even closer than before, but it wasn't restricting or painful. It actually felt good to be in his arms. She was itching to let her hands wander up his shoulders, and had to fight to keep them on his chest, gripping the front of his perfect-blue coat. She was sure that she had the weirdest look on her face as she struggled against him. And in turn, she found herself wondering what sort of expression the Demon made while doing something like this.

Gathering her courage and her strength, Yako opened her eyes. She was startled to find his green eyes already wide open and watching her with a look so intense, she couldn't withhold the gasp that flew past her lips. This allowed Neuro to deepen the kiss, forcing his way inside her mouth and reveling in the taste of his slightly bigger, little Human. No matter the time axis, it had been far too long since he had last experienced this flavor.

Yako gasped at his intrusion. Then sighed. And finally letting her arms go around his neck, she was all to glad to return his attentions. She could not remember ever feeling this weightless before. It was a brand new sensation that danced across her skin and clear through to her bones.

Needing to breathe, Yako managed to pull back just far enough to take in air. But in that brief moment, Neuro leaned down to actually bite her neck. It wasn't so hard that it broke the skin, but she felt all the points of his sharp teeth against her throat. There was the briefest flash of fear—he could rip out her throat or crush her windpipe in a single bite if he wanted—but it was quickly overcome by the oddly pleasant feeling of his mouth on her skin. There was the lightest sting from his saliva, but somehow, that actually made her feel even better and even weaker under his teeth.

She held on to the Demon tightly, gasping as she felt his hands move down her shoulders and span her back, holding her closer. She felt his long, spider-like fingers grasp the edge of her shirt and start to pull it upwards. When his gloved fingertips touched the skin of her lower back, she bit back a moan.

But when she felt the back of her leg touch the edge of the bed, her eyes shot open and she started to comprehend exactly what was happening. The kiss had gone far out of control, and was looking to go even further, if she didn't stop.

With some difficulty, she managed to take her arms back and quickly pulled her shirt down before it could go any higher. "O-kaaaayyy! That's…a good place to stop! Stopping now! Yes! Stopping would be very, _very_ good!"

Neuro was somewhat displeased at the sudden distance put between them. Admittedly it wasn't very far, considering her bed was at her back, which prevented her from going any further. But he could still feel her draw away from him as she avoided his eyes.

The air started to cool down and her heartbeat and breathing settled into an easy rhythm.

While it had certainly been pleasing, the Demon was hardly pleased to have it brought to such an abrupt halt. He would have said as much, and more than, had one of the batteries holding his black locks of hair suddenly spark to life.

A Puzzle. Food.

He was willing to set the matter aside for the time being.

"I detect a Mystery, louse," he announced pleasantly. "I am famished, so we are going to go and solve it."

Yako would have loved to object. She was still dead tired from the flight home, and needed to catch up on some much needed sleep. But considering how hot things had been just moments ago, she was willing to admit that work and a calming walk would help settle the air. Besides, she knew better than to argue with the Demon.

Pulling on a much more comfortable pair of sneakers—as well as a red scarf to hide any marks on her neck—Katsuragi Yako set out with Nougami Neuro on their first case in three years.

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Neuro hardly had to do anything at all.

He took note of everything the police had found and missed. But it was Yako's simple observation of the glitter from one woman's make-up that was also found on the victim—as well as her seemingly weak connection with the man—that solved the Puzzle within the matter of hours. As the Demon enjoyed his first meal in a good while, he watched his Human see to loose ends with the other Humans. Her manner was collected and civil with the authorities, and kind and caring with the victim's family and friends.

While most of the people involved had been doubtful of her procedures, many others had stood by in avid interest. She had clearly become a well-known figure in the public eye. The police had been courteous and much more helpful than they had been when Neuro had first started training Yako. And she had been completely at ease while standing amidst the crime scene, holding tightly to the attention of everyone.

Yako had grown into a sturdy woman in the three years she had been without him. She had kept her word and was shining for all the world to see.

"Not exactly a gourmet meal, but it was prepared rather promptly," Neuro grinned as they moved down the street to return to the office. "Not bad, slug."

"And I'm 'slug' once more," Yako laughed, tired and pleased at his light approval. "Are there any other Puzzles we can sort out tonight? Preferably something nearby?"

The Demon allowed his senses to stretch out, but caught nothing of exceptional interest. "Nothing that can't be dealt with tomorrow," he said. "But I'm curious as to why you would ask, louse. Eager to please your Master? Or perhaps, you have a dinner date waiting?"

"I just thought my _Partner_ would like to eat," she sighed, helpless to dissuade him from any of his playful insults or his attempts to get a rise out of her. She was still careful to emphasize the last word and label. Perhaps he had chosen to disregard the last title he had given her before he left the Human World that dark night. But she certainly wasn't about to let him forget it.

"Yako, I want you to marry me."

The young woman froze, watching him drift further ahead before he also came to a halt. She couldn't move. She stopped breathing, even as her heart started racing. Her eyes were glued to the perfect-blue fabric that covered his back.

Expecting her stunned silence, Neuro carried on without prompting. "I don't think it would be too much of a scandal if it is found out. In fact, weddings are something of a kick in publicity, no matter where you are. Your popularity will likely increase, allowing for the increase in Puzzles and Mysteries to come through. Furthermore, the amount of money and various gifts that a bride and groom can receive is quite amazing! We would receive more funds as well as an assured stability that comes with marriage. This occurred to me while I was away. And knowing that this will provide a legitimate front, I want you to marry me."

The Demon smiled back at his Human, confidant and collected that he had won her consent. He knew what he wanted, and he always got what he wanted.

However, not even the great, 'Brain Eater' Neuro could withhold his shock and awe at the single word that escaped Katsuragi Yako's lips.

"No."

A very small part of his brilliant mind wondered if he hadn't misheard her. But he knew his hearing was perfect and he had no reason to question it. So the mistake must be what had come out of her mouth. Clearly, Yako's small Human brain had shorted out with his simple offer of marriage and she had said the wrong thing in reply.

But when he turned to face her, there was no shock or confusion or panic visible in her features. Her face showed only perfect clarity and confidence. There was the slightest trace of hurt in her eyes, but her orbs were otherwise clear with something Neuro couldn't identify.

"Neuro, do you love me?" Yako asked, steady and serene.

The Demon scoffed lightly. "I very much doubt that I am capable of recognizing such a concept, let alone actually experiencing it."

"I Love You."

Once again, Neuro's face opened with sheer astonishment at Yako's words.

The young woman smiled at his expression, as well as the ease she felt at actually saying those three simple words. It had been some time since she had come to the shocking realization of her own feelings. It made virtually no sense—he was terrifying, he was devious, he was cruel, he was brilliant beyond compare and he knew it. He wasn't even Human.

But for all that, Yako had come to realize that her feelings for the Demon went deeper than her fear and simple admiration of him. She often wondered if it was some strange animal attraction, but really she couldn't simply explain it away as she at times hoped she could.

Now, facing Neuro and telling him, she felt liberated and incredibly sad. She was no longer weighed down by the doubt of stepping around the truth. But she was sad, because she knew for a fact that he would not and could not return her feelings. It wasn't in his nature, or ability to love her back.

"Like you said," she finally said, "there would be plenty of advantages to marrying you. Publicity and the like. But because I love you, I can't just accept marrying you for reasons as empty as that."

Neuro gathered himself carefully and quietly. "You will endure all other things—my teasing and my torture—but actually accepting me is far too appalling for you to accept?"

His voice was cool, but held the burning traces of a deep rage.

"It might be it. It might not…" Yako mused thoughtfully, unafraid. "But honestly? I don't feel we're on equal footing right now. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I was to accept. However long it's been for us, it doesn't feel the same as it did when you left that night."

The Demon thought about that. Really, it hadn't been that long for him. Yako had waited for three years, working and growing to live up to her promise to him. But in his absence—no matter how long or short the time it had been—the name of 'Partner' that they had called each other had changed in meaning for them both.

"We're close to the train station," Yako suddenly piped up. "And it isn't that far to my house. So if you don't have any more outings in mind, I think I'll head home for the night."

Neuro wondered if he should reprimand her for not technically asking his permission to leave. But feeling dissatisfied—in spite of his most recent meal—he dismissed her with a simple wave of his hand. "Be into the office early tomorrow. I want to get started as soon as possible."

Yako accepted his terms with a nod, then turned and left for home.

Rather than leave for the office, the Demon waited and watched her until she turned the corner. Neuro still felt a peculiar unpleasantness over the exchange. It was a sensation that he could only vaguely identify. It was as if he had lost a game.

But that was ridiculous. The only one to ever beat him at anything was his Father. Whatever had just happened had most certainly not finished—on the contrary, it had only just begun. So he would most certainly win this odd game that had started between him and his Human.

For the sake of his freedom and for the sake of his being able to go on eating, he had to win.

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**Thank you all for your patience and support! **

**I can't guarantee that I'll be posting regularly, but I haven't forgotten my promise to continue. Please review, your kind words keep me going.**

**Thank you! And thank you again!**


	2. Engage - Hold

**Hello again! I'm back with another chapter! **

**I'm glad that I've actually made people happy with the first chapter of this story. Thank each and every one of you for your kind reviews and encouragements! I hope that, while time is stretched between posts, that I will be able to update regularly enough. I'm feeling pretty good about myself lately, enough that I have confidence in finishing 'A Token of Affection' without leaving it hanging for two years. XP**

**Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy this next installment!**

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**A TOKEN OF AFFECTION**

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**02 -**

"**Engage" [Hold]**

"—You suddenly pop back out from under your fuckin' rock, and the first thing you do is call me at one o-fucking-clock in the morning!" Godai Shinobu stood raging at the familiar, blue-clad figure sitting behind the blood-red desk called 'Troy'. "How the hell did you even get my number, you freak? I cancelled my first phone contract after you left!"

Amused at Godai's blatant ranting and raving, likely due to lack of sleep, Neuro could only smile. Indeed, not only Yako, but this slave had also become much too comfortable during his brief absence. The Demon was happy to note that further disciplining would be required for them in the coming weeks. It wouldn't do for them to forget just who the master was.

"And, Detective!" The bleach-blond turned to Yako. The entire time he had been ranting, she had been carefully sorting through and returning folders to the filing cabinet, without comment. "You couldn't have shot me some sorta warning that he was back?"

The Private Investigator could only smile helplessly. Neuro looked as comfortable as he ever was. As if he had never been away. It was frustrating and it was comforting, somehow. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't given much warning either."

Godai could believe Yako in that. There was no reason not to. But by the gentle glow to the young woman, he could tell that she was pleased to have the monster back again.

"Really, mutt!" Neuro laughed. "You should just accept my glorious presence is once again in your bleak little life. How colorful your days will be now that I am once again at full health and fully capable of commanding such a minuscule organism such as yourself."

"Whatever!" Godai growled, crossing the room to Akane's desk. "I need a cup of coffee. Black."

He no sooner said this than the familiar black braid of hair popped out and swiftly began to prepare coffee. That Akane showed herself so easily, and Godai was totally and completely indifferent to see a disembodied braid of hair come out of the wallpaper and start preparing a cup of coffee, Neuro stared in shock. Yako caught the look and almost laughed. Just how many times in the past two days of his being back had rendered some form of surprise upon his face?

"Godai-san found out about Akane-chan last year," she offered to the Demon. "There was an incident and we couldn't hide it from him anymore."

"I don't know why you fuckers kept it a secret in the first place!" Godai said, accepting the steaming cup of coffee from the office secretary. "Thanks. I worked in this office for years, and I was always wondering about the body in the wall. And always finding cups of tea ready for me and messages on the board when I'm alone in the room freaked me out more than living hair."

"Though you were still freaked out," Yako pointed out with a sly smile.

"Anyone would be! It's weird! It's hair off a dead body!" He hastily turned to the braid. "Not that there's anything wrong with your hair. You take very good care of it. It's very nice."

**[Thank You, Shinobu-kun]** Akane replied on her whiteboard.

Neuro could sense the complete ease between the man and the living hair. It was very odd to see them interact, having worked two ends of the agency, but also slightly worrying. Akane had been revealed to Godai in his absence, but what else had Yako be known? There were still rules that he had to obey while dwelling among Humans, and it wouldn't be in his best interests if too many knew of his Hell born heritage.

"So? Where the hell you been all this time?" Godai finally asked over his coffee mug. "The Detective only said that you went home. I wanna know where the hell that is! Where in the hell does something like you come from?"

The Demon was amused at the man's choice of words, as well as the answer to his unspoken query. Clearly, Yako had endured and kept the secret he shared only with her and Akane. Anyone could assume that he was a 'monster' of some sort, but knowing specifically that he was a 'Demon' was something only a select few had been capable of discovering. Most were no longer alive, so he saw no problem in leaving it with Yako.

Now, he was back where he belonged. Food was plentiful—if the two cases he and Yako had finished earlier that day were any indication—and if anything, Humans had become even more fun to play with in the short years he had been away. With the same constraints as before, though an essential feat to perform, he was where he wanted to be.

His dark, green gaze drifted to his Human Partner as she gathered up the last of the manila folders and return them to their rightful drawer, and he once again felt that light brush of pride at her accomplishments. During the night, he had read through all of the files of her various exploits—both public as well as private—and was willing to admit that she was indeed capable enough. Even if she had been drifting closer to being a 'Negotiator' than a 'Detective,' plenty of people around the world knew about her. She had been comfortable during the two Puzzles he had solved earlier. Honestly, he was dissatisfied that he had not been present when she sorted out so many Puzzles.

Neuro saw her trace the small wound that circled her ring finger, without thought. Almost fondly. The mark he had given her that night had not faded, and she had not hidden it.

"Yako, I want you to marry me."

Godai choked on his coffee. Akane stiffened and dropped her marker. Both were shocked and amazed at the smoothly delivered command. But as incredible as the Demon's order of marriage was, they totally unprepared for their Detective's easy reply.

"No, Neuro."

The bleach blond manager started sweating, honestly scared of the repercussions of the young woman's blatant refusal. But Neuro stayed behind his desk. He didn't raise anything to throw. He didn't grin madly and threaten. He didn't even look like he was breathing. His face was perfectly placid and unruffled. And although he didn't smile or growl in the least, Godai could still feel something in the monster's air prickle.

"And why not?"

"I already told you why," she replied simply as she returned to the couch to finish her tea.

Godai glanced at Akane, hoping that she could in some way clarify what had just happened. But the braid of black hair waved and curled, just as lost as he was. How easily Neuro had wanted Yako to marry him, and how easily she had turned him down. There was only an awkward tension around them who had been made witnesses to the event.

'_Shit is goin' down,' t_he man thought as he looked between his two employers. _'Serious shit…'_

"I should get going," Yako said as she checked her watch and stood up to grab her purse. "I promised Kanae that we'd go shopping today."

At this, Neuro grinned. "I don't recall permitting such a request."

"I didn't need you to," she replied. Just as easily as if she were talking to any normal Human. Just as easily as she had when she refused the Demon's command of marriage for the second time.

Amused, Neuro grinned, "Slave Number One, see Yako out."

"I ain't yer fuckin' slave!" Godai shouted. Then stopped. "Wait. _I'm_ Number One?"

"See her out," Neuro repeated. "And then come back. We have things to discuss."

The man had no clue what the monster would need to talk to him about, but he decided to avoid unnecessary grief and just follow the rather simple directions given to him. Taking the elevator allowed them a quicker way down, as well as some privacy to talk, so Godai and Yako were more inclined to enter the box and hit the button for the first floor.

"You can stop smiling any time, y'know," the bleach-blond scoffed.

"I'm not smiling," Yako insisted, but she knew that she was. "Sorry, I guess it's a bit annoying to actually see me happy about this, huh?"

"Very," Godai replied, then shrugged. "But I'll live with it. On another, more important subject: What the hell was with that sorry excuse for a proposal just now? Just what did I miss?"

The young woman's smile softened, and he could see a little sadness slip into her eyes. The elevator hit the bottom with a 'ding', and the door opened to let them out.

"How come you said no?" He asked as they walked to the front doors of the buildings.

"Because," Yako sighed. "I can't accept unless I know he means it."

Godai didn't know what she meant by that. But the detective had become more capable through the years. She had her fair share of injuries and mistakes on cases, but had grown to the point that she could actually go alone into a building filled with terrorist, with a single monster-sized lunch box, and talk them into surrendering without a single shot being fired. Whatever she and the monster had in store for each other, he had enough confidence in Katsuragi Yako to believe that she wouldn't lose.

"Whatever," he sighed, opening the door to let the woman outside. "Just get going before that she-devil shows up."

As sure as the day was hot, Yako's fiery-haired friend was just walking up as they stepped outside. The two waved happily to each other as the distance between them was closed. But the smile on Kanae's pretty face immediately broke and fell away at the sight of Godai. The man also flinched and growled like a disgruntled cat.

"Oh. _You_," Kanae sighed hotly.

"Don't you 'Oh, you' me!" Godai bristled. "You evil little, pepper-spraying witch!"

"You can't keep holding that against me!" She insisted, her face flushing angrily. "I didn't know you. You just come out of nowhere and start taking stuff out of the back of a moving truck—"

"First off, I drove that fuckin' truck!"

"You should have introduced yourself to everyone before moving around like you're trying to burgle some innocent girl just as she's moving into some shady neighborhood!"

"You should try asking what the hell I'm fuckin' doing before you fill my eyes with fuckin' pepper spray!"

"I didn't know you!" Kanae repeated, clenching her finely manicured nails into her palm.

"You also don't know how to lift a fuckin' chair! Which brings me to Two:_ I_ had to move it all in!" The man's voice was getting louder, even as he shoved his face closer. "Even after you attacked me! Have you ever worked a day in your life that you can't even help move a stupid table?"

The young woman's face burned as red as her hair, this time from rage combined with embarrassment. "It was heavy!"

Yako decided she had seen enough and casually stepped in between the two before she could start laughing. Easing Kanae away by the shoulders, she smiled at them both. "Let's go, Kanae-chan, or we'll miss the train. I'll see you around, Godai-san."

Godai glared after them, before angrily kicking a stray newspaper out of his way as he stormed back inside. Riding the elevator back up to the office, cursing all the while, he stormed through the door and almost tore it off the hinges.

"How can she be _friends_ with that woman?" He groused as he paced around the office like an angry tiger.

Neuro, who had watched the brief exchange from the window, grinned with honest delight. The Demon was more than a little amused at the antics of Yako's friend and their subordinate. Of course, Godai was inclined to be short tempered, but Neuro had not seen someone get him going with a single glance since Sasazuka. And Yako's friend, who he had seen usually act sweet and demure, had shown entirely new blazing side of herself. He was worried he might actually start laughing if it had carried on for much longer.

"Suffering a little sexual tension, are we?"

"Oh, HELL NO!" Godai exclaimed. "Not on your life! Just the idea of me and that…that-that _thing_!" There was no word to describe what she was. "It turns my stomach!"

Neuro wasn't so inclined to believe him. Plenty of creatures could be known to hiss and spit at a potential mate. The idea of what the two could produce in offspring was an incredibly amusing thought. While that made him recall another point to his being allowed back here, it was beside the point that he wanted to speak of and decided to let it slide for the time being.

"As a man about town, what would your methods be for securing a mate?" Neuro asked pleasantly.

"I DON'T WANT THAT _THING_, SO FORGET IT!" Godai exploded.

In reply, Neuro threw Godai's mostly-empty cup of coffee at him and knocked him off his feet. "I'm not talking about you and your preferences, dog food. Try and keep up. Realize when the topic is no longer on _you_."

Godai could have ranted and raved that there was no way for him to know when the topic had changed, but his jaw hurt from the mug and left it alone. Then he recalled the shocking event that had taken place earlier. "Oh yeah. What was with you proposing to the Detective all of a sudden?"

Neuro fell silent as he let his gaze drift out the window at the busy world beyond. He had once again set a Demon Insect to keep watch over Yako. With a stronger connection thanks to his new Batteries, he was satisfied he could sense where she was and who she was with.

"Did you miss the girl so much that you just had to have her as soon as you get back?" Godai moved to the sofa, not expecting the stapler that came at him as soon as he sat down.

"She already promised herself to me," the Demon said, as wickedly composed as ever. "She's mine. When I returned, she was going to belong only to me. And yet, she refuses me."

"Maybe she's still sore at you for everything you've done to her," the man said as he got up again. He was immediately hit by the paperweight and once again ended up on the ground.

"Focus, shark-bait," Neuro offered an encouraging grin. "How would you go about securing a woman for yourself?"

The man sat and thought about this as he tried to focus through the oddly nostalgic pain. He would never admit it, but Godai didn't have an incredible amount of experience with women. His old boss, Saotome Kuniharu, was pretty popular with ladies, but he wasn't known to get involved with any—something about almost being thrown out a window by some broad back in high school had set the man against most women. But 'securing a woman'? What man anywhere in the world knew how to do that?

"I dunno. Depends on the girl. If her family's uptight or something, you'd need something to show that they can trust you with her. Then there's the girl herself. She'd probably wanna know you'll be able to take care of her. There's yer problem right there! That's what the Detective meant when she said she can't—"

He didn't see the plaque awarded to Katsuragi Yako from the British Empire come flying at him. He wouldn't likely see it after it stopped, as it knocked him out cold. Neuro easily retrieved the award and left it on Troy as he walked back and opened to window. "Akane. Wake him up in an hour if he doesn't regain consciousness on his own. I'll be out for the rest of the evening."

**[Have a safe trip]** The braid wrote before she flailed pitifully in the direction of her fallen friend. The man wasn't likely to come to any time soon, so she decided to let him be for now. When he woke up, she would have a fresh cup of coffee, some ice, and an aspirin waiting for him.

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"How can you stand to actually be friends with that guy?" Kanae fumed as she gripped her bags and stopped by a hotdog stand on the side of the street. "I mean, he's such a...such a… Oh! There isn't a word for what he is!"

So far, she and Yako had been to three stores—they both had a few bags with new clothes—and a small coffee shop—Yako had hoped a chai would sooth her friend's upset feelings—and still, the redhead continued to come back to her very brief exchange with Godai. Yako actually found the animosity between the two funny, and often wondered if some of Neuro hadn't rubbed off on her in that sense. But she couldn't help letting them carry on by themselves whenever they happened to meet. She had never seen Kanae so ruffled before. And while she was certainly intimidated by Godai, neither one was inclined to back down from any argument that sprung up between them.

"He's nice," Yako smiled, shifting her bags a little to take a drink of her Frappuccino. "He's reliable and really business savvy. I think you guys would really like each other, if you could get over yourselves long enough to have a real conversation."

"I have had enough _conversations_ with that-that _thing_ to know there is nothing to like about him!" Kanae hissed as she was given a hotdog and she began to furiously compile an assortment of toppings. "He's rude, messy, he smells, he's a total Neanderthal. I don't like him one bit!"

Her golden-haired friend could only smile and shake her head. But Yako's attention was swiftly caught when she happened to catch a large bit of white out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a big, rather well-known bridal shop across the street. Not entirely sure of herself, her feet led her away and she soon stood before the window. In the huge display stood a black mannequin wearing a beautiful wedding gown, various bits of jewelry and a long veil. From the main showcase to the other white gowns along the other side, her brown gaze went over the lovely lace and beadwork with a new fascination.

Yako had never thought about wearing something like that before. Even before she devoted her time to strengthen ties and furthering her career, she had never really thought about getting married. Then, after vanishing for three full years, Nougami Neuro returns and proposes to her. No, he ordered her to marry him.

She had confessed her feelings to Neuro, and refused him. She knew what she wanted and she said no. And while she was unwavering when she had answered him, and firm in her decision, she was honestly surprised at herself. Yako knew that she had done quite a bit of growing in the last three years, but she hadn't thought that she would find such confidence or fearlessness. She actually paused to wonder if refusing him in front of Godai and Akane was at all damaging to Neuro's pride. The Demon was still throwing the occasional object at her, but she was able to dodge them most of the time. She laughed a little, knowing that such a skill would eventually wear Neuro thin and he would have to start putting a little effort into it. Not that that was something to be happy about…

"I've never known you to leave a food stand for anything except another food stand," Kanae smiled as she came up, offering her friend a jumbo hotdog. "What's up?" Letting her own gaze drift across the display of white lace and chiffon, she smiled slyly. "What with the sudden interest in wedding dresses? Anxious for some wedding bells in the near future?"

"Just curious," Yako shrugged as she did away with her hotdog. She considered how long she had known Kanae, how close they were, and mentally nodded to herself. "Someone proposed to me the other day."

The redhead choked. "What?"

"And earlier today."

"_What?_" Her friend gaped.

"I said no."

"_WHAT_? What happened? Why did you say no? Is the guy ugly? Is he a pervert? Is he dirt poor? Who is he?" Kanae jumped in front of Yako, forcing her to meet her wide-eyed gaze. The redhead was frantic and sweating nervously. She wasn't entirely sure if she should be upset that Yako was proposed to first or that her friend had refused the offer. She knew that Yako was popular in certain circles, but as far as she knew, no one had proposed before. This was a big deal!

Yako fell silent for a long moment. How to explain? How to answer?

"I love him," Yako finally said softly. While her face remained somewhat calm, her heart pounded every time she said it out loud. "…But I can't marry him, because he doesn't love me. And in spite of that—in spite of everything!—I want to be with him. But I just don't feel like we're…standing on the same step. You know what I mean?"

She wanted to get back to equal standing with Neuro. She wanted to be able to look at him and know that they were side by side. Like that night when the Demon had left her, Yako wanted him to see her as an equal. It was like it had been before, except with a much bigger arrangement at stake.

Having never seen such an expression or heard such wistfulness from her friend before—Much less that Yako was _in love _with anyone!—Kanae fell silent as she took it all in. At her question, the redhead could only shrug. "I think I get what you mean. I know that it's important to be on the same wavelength. Does _he_?"

Yako shook her head. "I don't think so. But maybe he will eventually. He can be pretty crazy…" She couldn't help laughing, honestly cheerful. "But he's brilliant. I think that maybe someday he'll figure it out."

"Someday? I hope I'm still around for it," Kanae sighed. "This guy sounds a bit dense if he can't understand that much."

They walked around for a little bit longer, and were soon satisfied with the amount of shopping they had done. Finished, the two soon headed to the train station to return home as the sky started to shift from blue to yellow. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded at this time of the day and they just stood waiting for their train without worry of being squashed. It would have been a relatively quiet wait, with just simple conversation between the two friends, had a certain snowy-haired man not stepped up.

"Miss Detective. What a surprise to see you here."

Yako smiled when she found none other than Hayasaka Yukinori standing before her. Dressed in a jet black suit, excluding the tie and leaving the top few buttons undone to show off the burn scars that trailed up his neck, he had certainly grown more imposing over the years, carrying a bit more confidence in his step and sharper smile on his lips.

"Yuki-san! What are you doing here?"

"I was actually on my way to your house, actually," the man said. "Brother needed me to see to a couple of things."

Yako would have asked further, had Kanae not insistently jabbed her in the ribs. Looking at her, the blonde was vaguely worried that her friend's face was lit up with a smile and her eyes were sparkling a little.

"Yako? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" The red-haired young woman beamed prettily.

"Oh, right," Yako smiled nervously. "Kanae, this is Hayasaka Yukinori-san. He's…a cousin of my dad's."

"I don't remember any of your relatives being that hot," Kanae whispered in amazement. But was quick to recover and offer her hand to the pale-haired man. "It's very nice to meet you, Hayasaka-san."

"And you," Yuki smiled, pleasant and cool as he shook her hand.

The train arrived and the three hurried on board to catch a couple seats. Yako set her bags down, with Yuki standing on her left and Kanae seated on her right. It was an oddly comfortable arrangement, considering she was between her best friend since middle school and a Black Market Tradesman who had been a good friend since his attempt to frame her from drug-trafficking.

"So? What business do you have at my house?" She asked after taking a moment to listen to the comforting movement of the train.

"Brother wants me to pay Haruka-san for the chocolate she made for us," Yuki said. "He was really impressed with what she did and asked me to thank her personally."

Kanae gaped. "Yako's mother made you guys chocolate? And you're still _alive_?"

"It's not for themselves," Yako sighed. "Mom cooks stuff for them and they just use it."

"Wow," the redhead laughed in disbelief. "What would you use that stuff for? Assassinations?"

Both Yako and Yuki laughed at that. The blonde's was a little more nervous at the fact that her friend's idea was likely true, but she was quick to move on. "And you wanted to know about things in Brazil went, right?"

"We can talk about it later," the man said easily. "Did you enjoy the trip?"

"I did," Yako smiled. "The food there is incredible. And! There were some very nice men that I owe a full course sushi dinner to, once they all get out of prison."

At this, Kanae sighed. "The people you get involved with, Yako… British lords, South American guerillas, the Italian Mafia. I wouldn't be surprised if you were close friends with a yakuza clan or guys who deal in the black-market here in town."

Again, Yako and Yuki laughed. This time, the snowy-haired man's laugh was a little clipped, a little cooler.

As they sat there, it suddenly occurred to Yako that a certain bit of news had not been broadcast for those who might care to know about it. Considering Godai's reaction, she hoped that Yuki's would be a little mellower in comparison. "I thought you might want to know, Yuki-san… My Partner, Neuro, has come back to Japan."

Yukinori stiffened just slightly, looking Yako dead in the eye for some hint that she might be joking. Her eyes clear and her smile honest, he knew she was telling the truth. And he actually couldn't help smiling himself.

"I'm certain Brother will be happy to hear that…"

"Your Partner?" Kanae blinked. "Wait, you mean that hot assistant guy from three years ago? That really tall one dressed all in blue? _That_ guy?" When Yako nodded, her red-haired friend paused to think. Then, a bright smile suddenly lit up her pretty face and she almost jumped out of her seat. "_He's_ the guy that _proposed_ to you!"

Several people turned at the sudden outburst, but Yukinori's eyes actually widened in shock.

"He is, isn't he?" Kanae beamed. "The timing is too perfect to be coincidence! Oh, Yako, I thought that guy _adored_ you. He followed you all over the place, and listened to every little thing you said."

Yuki and Yako once again shared a sudden and very short laugh. It was starting to disconcert and infuriate Kanae how they kept doing that. As if there were too many private jokes that they weren't the least bit inclined to let her in on.

"So?" Yuki asked casually. "_Did_ he propose to you?"

"Sort of," Yako sighed, scratching her head doubtfully. But whatever brought about the Demon's sudden insistence for her hand in marriage, Yako knew that it wasn't likely for any reason of the heart. "But I'm not ready to marry him yet."

At this, the man quirked one fine eyebrow. "Not ready? Meaning, you plan to marry him someday?"

"Someday," Kanae nodded with a sigh. "I guess, looking back, that guy may have followed you around like a puppy, but he did seem pretty dense. I hope I'm still young when your wedding day finally comes. And you can tell your man I said so."

Yako wasn't sure what to say in response to that, and just smiled. She couldn't very well tell her best friend that Neuro's lost puppy act was as far from his real personality as Pluto was from the Sun. She certainly couldn't tell her friend that that her Demon was far more brilliant than almost all the greatest scholars of history combined. Though perhaps 'Dense' might be the best term to use when considering the Brain-Eater's inability to understand the simple complexity of emotions.

It wasn't long before the train reached Yako's stop and came to a halt. Picking up her things, she gave her friend a hug and disembarked the train with Yukinori in tow. Making their way down the street, the sky overhead was already turning a vibrant orange and with the setting sun at their backs, their shadows stretched out in front of them.

"I'm sorry to say that the buyers for your shipment didn't respond to any messages you sent due to a rather unsavory death," Yako finally said. "I wasn't able to do more than make sure your package at least ended up with someone who would use it properly."

"Really?" Yuki eyed the girl, a little suspicious. "Who did you leave the package with? And what do you mean by 'unsavory death'? Don't nickel and dime me on details, Detective. I don't like it."

"A very specific, very elite organization that I have had close affiliations with now owns the items in question," Yako sighed as she adjusted her bags. "Actually, they needed the very same items you sent to use against what actually killed your buyers, so I think it worked out to its own end."

"And what exactly killed our buyers?"

"Zombies. Well, they call them 'Ghouls' on record," Yako shrugged.

"Detective…" Yuki rubbed his eyes with a groan. "I don't think Brother will look too fondly at our loss of a good client, as well as the loss of a good shipment. Much less just accept 'It was zombies' every time we have you look into the deals that go South."

"_Every time_? I'll have you know that both times, I have only ever told you guys the truth," the young woman said firmly. "I was given the green light to tell whosoever I trusted with this knowledge, and I told you. You guys just don't want to believe me. If you had gone to check it out yourselves, I know you'd believe me. But for the record, I'm glad you sent me rather than going yourselves—you likely would have been eaten."

"Detective, I don't think my brother will swallow another zombie explanation. You have to give us something besides horror stories."

Yako suddenly stopped—about two houses away from her own home—and put down her bags to open her purse. Pulling out her card case, she went through the various names and organizations she had become familiar with over the years before finding the one she was looking for and passing it to Yuki.

"These are the people who have your shipment," she said. "I actually went so far as to recommend your services, should they require artillery or some such thing. If you get a call from this number, be smart and pick it up."

Yuki sighed and read the card. "_Hellsing_? They couldn't come up with something more original than that?"

"It's the family name," Yako replied as she picked up her bags and continued toward the house. "If you won't take my word for it, maybe you'll believe a knight of the British Empire. I think you'll get along just fine in future business deals."

Following after her, Yukinori continued to read the information on the card before blinking and hurrying to catch up. "Wait. Is this the same Hellsing you were in the newspaper and the magazines with a while back? _That_ Hellsing?"

"_Que sera sera_," Yako said pleasantly as she walked up to and through the front door. She couldn't help the sigh of relief as she stepped over the threshold, set her bags down and take off her shoes. "Mom! I'm home!"

"Welcome back, sweetheart!" Haruka swiftly appeared in the hallway. "Oh! And Yuki-kun is here, too! We have a full house tonight. Welcome, welcome!"

Yako quickly moved her bags out of the way—leaving them in the doorway of the living room—to let the snowy-haired man through. Yuki hastened to pull the small, thick envelope from his coat and offered it to Yako's mother.

"My Brother really appreciated your chocolate," he said. "He wanted me to give you this as payment."

"Oh, you don't have to bother with paying me anything," Haruka smiled, bright and honest. "I was happy to make it for you. It was the first chocolate I've ever made that didn't come out smelling like an animal or something. Did you really like it?"

"It was _effective_, that's for sure," Yukinori actually laughed. "But we wanted you to have this."

"Yuki-kun, you're very sweet, but I don't need it."

"All the same, my brother insists and so do I."

"You really don't have to—"

"Mom, he's not going to leave until you take it," Yako finally offered. If it carried on any longer, Yuki would become visibly uncomfortable by her mother's kind and somewhat dismissive attitude. "Don't embarrass him."

Knowing her daughter spoke true, Haruka accepted the envelope. She couldn't help gasping when she found more than just a fair amount of money inside. "Oh, I can't possibly take this! This is an absurd amount of money for just some homemade chocolate!"

"It's what my brother decided on," Yuki said firmly. "I've delivered it, it's yours now. You decide what to do with it."

Haruka sighed heavily. The last couple of times the Hayasaka brothers had requested her various confectionaries, they had both insisted on paying her for her trouble. She had no clue why, much less why they insisted on giving her so much, but it was impossible to turn them down. They never took no for an answer, to the point it was almost scary.

"Would you like to at least stay for dinner?" Haruka pleaded gently. "To help ease my guilt just a little bit?"

Yuki hesitated a moment, this time his anxiety fairly obvious.

"I was planning to make pasta tonight," Yako offered helpfully.

He tried not to look too relieved at the news Haruka would not be cooking. "I…wouldn't mind."

"Great!" The woman smiled with a small bounce to her step. "That makes four for dinner tonight, Yako!"

"Four?" The blonde blinked. But she no sooner asked than something suddenly occurred to her. Exactly who else might be there so late in the evening? Who else ever came to her house so late? Yako ran for the living room and peered inside to find none other than Neuro sitting on the sofa, looking pleasant and completely out of place.

"Welcome home, Sensei!" The Demon chirped pleasantly. "How was your day?"

Yako was tempted to go back and grab one of her shoes to throw at him—regardless of what he could throw back at her—but her mother was quick to return to the room. There was also the off-chance that Yukinori was packing heat of some sort on his person, and still held a grudge against Neuro. Riling up the Demon or the Merchant was not likely the best way to end the evening. Or her life.

"I was so surprised when he showed up on the front step," Haruka said. "Why didn't you tell me Nougami-kun was back in town? I would think you would be bouncing off the walls the way you carried on when he left!"

Neuro's pleasant smiled broadened to the point she could actually see a little bit of his teeth. He may have shown more if he wasn't in front of Yako's mother.

Yako wasn't sure if she wanted to shoot Neuro for coming to her house without warning, or her throttle her mother for speaking out about that one vulnerable time. "I did not 'carry on', Mother. And, Neuro… I don't think you told me that you planned to pay my mother a visit."

"I didn't have to," he sent her earlier words back at her. There was the slightest glint of evil mirth in his eyes and just a little more teeth shown off. It was obvious that he was not intending to move, much less leave anytime soon.

Taking a few calming breaths, reiterating certain words in different languages, Yako managed to calm herself down. She had trained herself better than to let the presence of the otherworldly spawn actually get the best of her. She had been through plenty of hectic situations and kept a cool countenance without trouble. She couldn't let Neuro stir her up, or all the years he was away would amount to nothing. She had been perfectly calm and collected the past few times she had seen him—She had refused to marry him to his face, for goodness sakes!—she could endure making a dinner that he would never eat.

"Let me go change, and then I'll get started on dinner."

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Dinner was a personal favorite of Yako's making, something she had once thrown together one night just to see if it would work. Shellsagna: the same basic ingredients as lasagna, except the long pasta noodles are exchanged for shells. Not as difficult to cut through, and just as delicious.

"How do you like dinner?" Yako asked her Demon off-handedly over her glass.

"_Delectable_, sensei," Neuro replied, a look of mild warning in his green-black eyes.

Yako had been careful to serve him only a little food, to bring as little attention as possible to the fact that he hadn't taken a single bite. He had readily accepted one or two glasses of water, but the cheesy pasta and sauce remained untouched and cold on his plate. But given his intruding upon her home, she didn't feel particularly contrite or eager to go too easy on him.

Conversation was mostly limited to everyone's work day, and Yako's recent trip to Brazil. While Yako was all too happy to discuss what she had experienced on her latest trip, Yuki was careful when discussing his own line of work, and instead asked questions about Haruka's job. Of course, the topic of Nougami Neuro's absence and return was not left alone long.

"Yako told me once before that you had to return home for health reasons," Haruka said, turning her attention to the foreigner sitting directly across from her. "What was wrong? Is everything alright now?"

"I'm much better now," the Demon smiled politely. "It was just an old family ailment. Most of the time, I get by just fine with regular treatments and good food, but it just got so bad that only the air of home could make it better. I appreciate your concern."

"I expect you'll want to go on 'assisting' the Detective again?" Yuki inquired, helping himself to another serving.

Neuro nodded thoughtfully. "Among other things…"

"Oh?" Haruka blinked, interested as she set down her empty glass. "What else have you got planned?"

The young woman with wheat-gold hair caught the glance her Demon shot her too late before he spoke again.

"Didn't sensei tell you? We intend to get married within the year!"

The entire world seemed to explode with noise and movement, while at the same time it seemed to freeze in place. Yako couldn't hear her mother's bright exclamations and questions, not over the thrumming in her ears. She couldn't see Yukinori's almost guarded expression, as if bracing himself for the shattering of a window. All she could see, all she could hear was the blue-clad Demon sitting across the table.

Two times Neuro had told her to marry him. Just two. Once when they were alone, and again in the company of others. Yako had earlier wondered if she had wounded his pride—if such a thing were possible—when she refused him in front of Akane and Godai. Maybe she had. Maybe that was why he wasn't 'asking' this time. If she said 'No' in front of her mother, as cool, calm and collected as before, it would raise questions Yako would not likely be able to answer. But far worse, it could deal another blow to the Brain-Eater's pride. So this time, he wouldn't command her, so much as he would motivate her mother's excitement over the unresolved issue.

The swirling mass of emotions burning hotter and hotter in her chest finally became too much and struggled to tear free, to burst out and let it all known. She fought to keep herself in check, to think carefully and hold it in. But she refused to just sit by and let it all be decided for her—against her.

No one saw her reach for her glass. No one expected her to raise her glass. No one would have imagined that she would actually throw the water from her glass right into Nougami Neuro's face. But she did so none the less, and at last, everything went silent and still as all eyes went wide with shock at what she had done.

The Demon—drenched and taken aback—could only meet his Human's brown gaze as he hastened to process what had just happened and how to properly respond. Yako had not stood up when she attacked him with water, making no effort to seem bigger or more important to anyone else at the table. She stayed in her seat, meeting his own emerald-obsidian eyes, without saying anything at all.

She didn't have to. The torrent of emotion in her eyes spoke louder than words could, even as her face remained placid. The 'Brain-Eater' actually paused under the heat of her gaze, held in place without any means of escape.

"Yako!" Haruka finally jumped to her feet, appalled and angry at her daughter's uncalled behavior. "What on earth—"

Before even a thought could be finished—much less a full sentence—Yako finally stood up. And still without saying anything at all, she turned away and stormed out of the room and up the stairs. They all heard her bedroom door open and shut again in the oppressive silence of the house.

"I am so _sorry_, Neuro-kun!" Haruka said, snapping out of her daze and hurrying to the kitchen to bring the 'foreigner' a towel. "I don't know why…! Please, wait here a moment. I'll go talk with her."

As the woman disappeared out the doorway and around the corner, Neuro found he could only dry himself as he carefully went over the events of the evening. Certainly, Yako had been more impertinent than he had thought possible for her, just barely drawing attention to his lack of eating while also doing what she could to keep it out of the spotlight. But he had never thought she would actually attack him in the open—in front of her mother, no less. But she had, and was far from remorseful. She actually seemed justified when she had left him sitting at the table.

His whole reason for coming here had been to gain the favor of Yako's mother and thereby Yako's consent. There was no reason to keep pressing Yako for compliance when he could get it elsewhere. He had been certain that once her mother accepted the idea of their marrying that his Human would feel inclined to follow through, otherwise complications would arise that she would have no way to escape otherwise. They would quickly be joined in matrimony—appeasing his Father's command as well as binding her to him without question—and his freedom would be assured.

Before, whenever they had a dispute, it was obvious that Yako couldn't possibly win. It always ended in Neuro's favor. She had no other choice but to acquiesce to his rule. In fact, she had once before given her word that she would obey his every command! She shouldn't have any objections!

What's more, she had already confessed to having certain feelings for him that most Humans would accept as a reason to marry. And yet, she had refused him not once—but _three_ times already!

Yukinori noted the oddly puzzled silence from Neuro that somehow demonstrated that Yako's behavior was beyond his comprehension. The snowy-haired man wondered if he should laugh that the girl had actually left the creature wordless.

"Things not as simple here as they are back in the motherland, Mister Assistant?" He smiled coolly.

Eyes like emerald buried in volcanic soil spared him a brief, but albeit greatly displeased and almost warning glance that sent an odd shiver through Yukinori. It reminded him of the first day he had had met the Detective and her Assistant. When Neuro had actually grabbed his arm, and he had felt that inexplicable sensation that he hardly wanted to admit to but could hardly call it anything that what it was—_**Fear**_. A baser, animalistic fear. The fear a small creature feels with a predator looming over him.

Yuki had since grown strong enough not to freeze up under the unfamiliar sensation, but he remained seated as Neuro left the table and headed for the hall. As the blue-clad man left the towel on the back of his chair and walked past him, the Black Merchant considered something before speaking again.

"She once told us…" he said carefully, "…that no matter what the cost, she wanted to be on equal footing with you."

He heard Neuro stop walking. Taking this as a sign that the monster was listening, Yuki went on. "I don't know what happened three years ago. But whatever changed between you and the Detective can't simply be put back to the way it was before. People change. She's proven that point nicely, I would think. Whatever level you were once standing on, you can't expect to push her down a notch without her fighting back."

For a long while, nothing was said. Yuki wasn't sure of the creature was even breathing. But then, after a tense and lengthy silence, Neuro simply said:

"She's mine. No matter what else has happened, she belongs to me."

And with that, he simply walked out of the room, down the hall and out the front door.

Yukinori still wasn't certain what had happened between Neuro and Yako. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know. But one thing was definitely for certain:

The girl was giving the monster a fight Yuki couldn't wait to tell his brother about.

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Yako threw herself down on her bed, feeling a headache coming on and fighting back tears. It wasn't just a promise to Neuro, it was also a promise to herself not to cry at the drop of a hat. Only a select few events had forced her to shed tears. And, as angry and hurt as she was, she wasn't about to let them fall now. Not over him. Not after what he had done.

She had wanted time to let the air settle between them. She had hoped that things would improve a little bit if she allowed the Demon to get back into the swing of things and things could go on as before. Maybe a couple changes, considering how she felt about him. When he had told her to marry him the night before, she knew that several things would have to change in a big way. But she wanted time to adjust to his sudden interest in marrying her, time get him to understand her feelings.

That he would actually attempt such a sly approach at getting her to marry him, it actually hurt. It made her burn, while also stopping her cold like nothing ever had before.

Before, whenever Neuro had met with Katsuragi Haruka, Yako had been careful. Both for her own as well as the Demon's benefit, she had been careful to avoid suspicion, to keep her mother from the terrifying truth of the creature smiling across from her. There had once been a time when Yako had honestly feared that Neuro would hurt her mother if she didn't obey him. But she had learned over time that that wasn't his way.

It was only at that moment that a real epiphany lit up in her brain. In the past, it was Yako's simple need to get the encounter over with to avoid suspicion or embarrassment that she sometimes ended up in unpleasant situations with him. Neuro could scare Yako to a certain point, but Yako had made her own cage all by herself. Her feelings, her concern for those she cared about most—her Mother, Kanae, even Neuro himself—that was what bound her obedience to the Demon. Even if he didn't understand why, he knew how to use it to his own advantage. It was the same now as it had been three years ago.

But this time, Yako wouldn't submit. Especially not if he was resorting to such cheap and cowardly methods!

A couple quick knocks to her door were all that alerted her to roll over in time to see her mother open the door and enter her room. Closing the barrier behind her, the ebony-haired woman stood before the bed with her hands on her hips and a fiery glare.

"Yako, I want to know what just happened," Haruka said, her iron will clearly visible in her stance. "I never heard anything about any marital plans before tonight. And the minute I do hear them, you actually empty your cup in someone's face? In your assistant's face? What is this all about?"

Yako honestly considered, at that very moment, telling her mother everything. From the day she had met Neuro at her father's wake and all the secrets that came with that encounter. She was so unhappy, she honestly wanted to tell someone everything she had been keeping inside for all these years. "Neuro's a Demon, he comes from Hell," or "Because he's a Demon, He had to go back to Hell so that he wouldn't die," or even, "I love him, but he can't even comprehend what that means—because he's a DEMON!"

Yako's more wicked side thought that her mother's reaction would be worth the torment she was sure to get from Neuro later. But in the end, she knew that it wouldn't solve anything and decided against it.

"Neuro proposed to me…" She finally said. "But I didn't say yes."

Haruka took a long moment to process this new information. "So… When he said that you were planning to get married…?"

"He didn't have my permission," Yako replied, sitting up and dropping her hands in her lap. Her moving allowed a space to open for her mother to sit down beside her. "He was trying to set something up with your consent, instead of mine."

"Well. Now I'm deeply considering going back downstairs and letting him have it myself," the woman said hotly. "He was always so sweet! Where does he get the gall to go doing something like that?"

Yako actually smiled at the mental image of her mother throwing assorted objects, or hitting pots and pans together to banish Neuro from the house. But she didn't want the Demon to lose his temper with her mom, and leaned against the woman's shoulder, to deter her from getting up as well as in need of comfort. "It's alright. You don't have to worry about it."

"I most certainly do!" Haruka replied, gripping her daughter's hand in a comforting but tight grip. "I don't care who it is, no one tries to finagle their way into my family without direct permission from the bride! Absolutely not! I'd sooner install an electric charge in the door handle before I even let the low-life in question back in the house! I'd get the most vicious dog possible and set it loose in his house! I would—"

Haruka would have carried on a bit, had she not felt Yako return a gentler hold to her hand. Because she felt it, she turned and noticed the peculiar look on her daughter's face. While Yako had been angry downstairs, now there was a heavy sadness in her eyes. As well as something gentle and thoughtful. It was not a look Haruka saw as often as she herself felt it whenever she looked at photos of her late husband. Some of her rage dimmed down under the impact of her sudden revelation.

"Yako. Do you _love_ Neuro-kun?"

Without even saying it herself, Yako still felt her face grow warm and her heart jump a little bit as she nodded.

Haruka suddenly wasn't sure what to think about this. Her daughter had feelings for the man in question, but had said no to his proposal. In spite of her rejection, the man in question still attempted to make plans without her consent. And still, her daughter was carrying a torch.

"Okay, sweetie, I understand" Haruka sighed, letting her entire body relax. Putting her arm around Yako, she rocked her gently. "What do you want me to do? Send him upstairs or away?"

Yako thought about it only a brief moment. "I'll talk with him later. For now, I just want to rest a bit. I've got a headache."

"I'll check up on you again in a bit," her mother said, kissing her forehead. "You relax and try to get some sleep, alright?"

Yako smiled after her mother as she left the room, turning out the lights as she went. But the curve of her lips easily dropped after the door closed. She already knew that Neuro wouldn't be downstairs, just waiting for Haruka to reprimand him. Before he could be dismissed, the Demon would leave.

Crawling across her bed, she parted the curtains and opened the window. She was not at all surprised to find Nougami Neuro seated on the wall, his back and hair pointing to the ground without the slightest care of being seen. She didn't look directly at him, instead directing her gaze to the house across the street as she crossed her arms over the window sill and rested her head down.

"I don't appreciate being doused like a burning plant, slug," the Demon said evenly.

"I don't appreciate you going behind my back and trying to trick me into marrying you, Hell-spawn," she replied, some anger returning to her voice.

"Your mother seemed happy at the news, it was going well," Neuro went on. "The way I see it, it would have worked out just fine with her favor."

"Ha!" Yako scoffed, unsmiling. "I wasn't about to just sit there like a lemon and swallow that load of horse shit. I had hoped you were a bit smarter and more mature than to think I can't decide something for myself."

The Demon moved to tilt his head into the view of her window, but she easily averted her gaze to yard below. "Explain to me how it is that you claim to love me, yet you refuse to marry me?"

Hearing him say how she felt about him so flippantly, almost as if it was only a minor point beside the greater issue—right to her face—made that swirl of emotion in Yako's stomach coil and tighten. This time, rather than her heart racing, she felt her eyes burn and prickle with the threat of tears. Keeping her gaze focused elsewhere, she refused to let the Demon see. Her love obviously meant nothing to him, so she wasn't about to let him see how much it really hurt.

"You first," she said, glad that her voice didn't shake. "Why are you so anxious for me to marry you?"

At this, Neuro actually fell quiet. The lengthy silence forced Yako to finally glance at him out of the corner of her eye, just to make sure he was still there. He actually seemed to be considering his answer carefully. Was it because he didn't know how to answer? Or that he didn't know what the answer actually was?

Could she risk hoping that he might have some semblance of feelings for her? Feelings that he just might not understand, being a Demon?

Finally, he reached some sort of conclusion and answered, "When I left, you said that when I returned, you would belong only to me. Marriage is the most prudent way of assuring that it stays that way. I can't have you wandering elsewhere when I need you standing in the front to suffer the slings and arrows of publicity."

Yako's mind went blank for a moment. But she quickly turned away, fighting to keep her frustration from producing tears. She honestly felt a little stupid that she thought that he actually understood. That he thought of her as something other than a front. Where had his confidence in calling her 'Partner' gone? Why did he act as though her waiting for him to come back for three whole years wasn't enough of a guarantee that she wasn't going anywhere or to anyone else? Why did he treat her love for him as if it didn't mean anything?

Was she still just a puppet? Was she still just a pawn to be moved around the board?

"I see…" She managed to say, at last gathering enough composure not to worry about shedding tears.

Without saying anything more, Yako reached out to close her storm shutters. She just wanted him to go away and leave her alone. She would go to the office in the morning and they would continue work as usual. Maybe he would get bored with the marriage issue entirely and they would continue on as usual. She honestly didn't anticipate Neuro catching her arm and pulling her halfway out the window.

Her heart was sent racing a mile a minute at the prospect of plummeting to the ground below. She had become accustomed to high places, but instincts screamed to something secure to keep her from falling and forced her to grab onto the Demon's arm. "_Neuro_! What are you _doing_!?"

"I want an answer, Yako," Neuro said evenly, pulling her just a little bit further. He took a little delight from her trying to drag her feet in an effort to stay inside, but didn't really let it show. "Why do you keep refusing me?"

"I already told you!" She fought to free her arm while also trying to pull back inside.

"What you said doesn't make sense," he sighed, his grip like iron and twice as cruel as he held her in place. "Clarify. And keep in mind that a fall from this height, without something to break the fall, will likely result in something being damaged."

Yako felt her eyes burn and her vision became blurry. She honestly hated herself for letting her tears push through her defenses. "I love you, you ass! I love you and you don't love me! You said so yourself!"

"And?"

She wanted to scream at how easily he processed and discarded her feelings once again. There was nothing in his tone or anywhere else to give her any hope that he had even the slightest inkling of feeling for her. Absolutely nothing more for her to fool herself into thinking there ever could be.

"It wouldn't mean anything!" Yako said, not caring how her tears burned her skin as they rolled down her cheeks. "(). There's no reason for it!"

"I have a reason: You belong to Me," Neuro replied. "You gave your word that when I came back, you would belong to me."

Any hopes Yako had that Neuro would one day understand were useless. He didn't see her as anything but his property. Remembering the stories he once told her about his parents, about his beautiful Mother who was stolen away, she understood that it didn't matter what the bride wanted in Demon society. She would have to roll over for him, just like before, if she expected anything in her life to ever go smoothly again.

Well, she would deal with the rocky terrain. She would spend every day of her life being tossed around rooms and pushed out windows, just like before. But she would not submit to him. No matter what, she would endure his torments and continue to fight back.

The Demon felt Yako relax just slightly. She still kept a firm grip on his arm, but the rest of her body seemed serenely resolute as she stopped dragging her feet. Her tears didn't do anything to hide the suddenly cool expression upon her face. "If you're finished, either drop me or let me back inside. I'm tired."

Neuro was somewhat surprise by this, not having expected such a response from his Human. Hadn't she been scared witless at the prospect of fall just a mere moment ago? Pulling her closer so that he looked her right in the face, he was taken aback further by the fact that she easily met his eyes without wavering in the slightest.

"Let's get something straight, Neuro," Yako said resolutely. "I will never marry you if you try something like this again. No matter who you trick, or how far you managed to push the issue, I will never allow it. I'll sooner lock my doors and bar the windows and stop eating altogether before I will actually accept you like that."

That was at least something the Demon understood. Their methods of eating were entirely different, but the enjoyment of eating and the happiness food brought was something they had always shared. That she would so firmly vow to cut herself off from her truest delight was something Neuro never would have expected of his Human.

"Either let me fall, or let me go back inside," Yako repeated again. Just as resolute. Just as simply. As if she really didn't care that she would fall and possibly break her neck on the merciless ground below. As if that was actually better than accepting the Demon.

In his present mood, Neuro played with the thought of actually dropping her. But he would require her in the office on time tomorrow, so he tossed her back through her window with a sigh. "I still don't see what the problem with you is. Humans will form a union based on less, why do you insist on turning against me when you yourself told me that you love me?"

Yako rubbed her wrist, already aware that it would likely be bruised by morning, and carefully cleaned her face with her sleeve. "You don't understand," she said. "I already knew that, but I had hoped that you would at least _try_ to figure it out."

Neuro sighed. "How long are you going to carry on like this?"

"How long are _you_?" She shot back, facing the Demon once again. She still looked completely determined, even if there was a slight tremble throughout her figure. "I'll continue to help you as your cover, and we'll go on working cases from the office. I'll see you early tomorrow morning."

Yako moved to close her windows—this time, ignoring the storm shutters—but paused halfway, considering what words to leave him with.

"You remember…that night you left?" She said softly. "You promised to belong to me, too…"

With that, the windows shut and she pulled the curtains closed. Cutting off any view of the outside, Yako wasn't sure if the Demon had gone. He might just camp outside her window and torment her all night long. Really, he didn't have to hang that close for that to happen. Without saying another word, he would be on her thoughts all night. Her aching head would be wracked with thoughts of 'why' and 'why not'.

Because she was Human, she wouldn't marry him if he didn't love her.

Because he was a Demon, he would never understand why she felt this way.

Because he was a Demon, he wouldn't necessarily need her consent.

Because she was Human, she wouldn't allow for anything less.

They were both selfish in this, and neither would yield for anything. As all things stood between them, it was clear as daylight that there was no chance of them accepting and understanding each other. And that probably hurt more than falling out the window would have.

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**A couple of minor notes here…**

"**Que sera sera." Some might recognize this from Fruits Basket, others might actually know the song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. It basically means "What Will Be, Will Be." **

**Shellsagna is actually something I make in my house. I was sick one week and really wanted lasagna, but we didn't have the right pasta. Because I was sick, my older sister was determined and decided to substitute shells and it came out terrific. It's now a regular meal in my house that is so popular that leftovers don't last more than a day.**

**Thank you all for reading Chapter 02. Look forward to Chapter 03, in which we should have an appearance by Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing and her ever-constant protector, Seras Victoria. LOOK FORWARD TO IT!**


	3. Competition - Advice

**Hello and good morning, my excellent friends! **

**Late again. Super Late. RIDICULOUSLY LATE. I meant to have this chapter up so much sooner, but I was preoccupied and keeping busy because I FOUND WORK! YAYS! So happy! THEN, my computer died. I've been stuck with my phone to check emails and junk for the past few months. Wow, how I fail. **

**I was able to save up bit by bit and with a lot of help from my Mother and Big Sister—ILOVEYOUBOTH!—who both kept an eye out for computers, I now have a brand new computer and can continue posting.**

**Thank you all again for your supportive comments and suggestions as well as your extensive patience, they mean so much to me. And now what you've all waited so kindly and patiently for! **

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**A TOKEN OF AFFECTION**

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**03 -**

"**Competition" [Advice]**

"Yako, marry me."

"No."

Within one month, things had become relatively normal in the office. Yako's well-earned reputation allowed for more than the average Puzzle to come through the door, and provided Neuro with his necessary sustenance on a more regular basis. This came a source of great delight for the Demon, while also the most peculiar source of discontent, as it served to keep both him and his Human consistently occupied. He had surprisingly little time to spend in private with Yako.

"Marry me, Yako."

"No."

Yako continued her work as a Detective and Neuro's front without hardly any complaint, as she had promised. But she still stood firmly against marrying him. This naturally frustrated the Hell-Spawn, whose patience was starting to wear thin. His pranks and tortures were gradually becoming sufficiently severe, while remaining effectively non-lethal.

"Yako—"

"_**No**_."

"It's rude to interrupt so early," Neuro pouted. "What's more, in another person's sentence!"

"It's also rude to throw people into dis-spacing, slimy—Stop touching my feet!"

At the moment, Yako found herself caught in what seemed to be the body of a gelatinous octopus with eyes on every other inch of its head. But rather than something that just looked strange and frightening—those sorts of Tools had proven useless by now—its body was made of a strange gelatin that pulled her in and then let her various limbs stick out at odd and completely different ends of its entire body. While her head had not gone under, her left hand protruded from around the area of her right shoulder, while her feet hung over her head out from a giant tentacle. Her appendages all moved around in frantic, imperfect motions to escape the Demon's clutches, but it did little to no good at all.

"I'll let you out if you say yes," he said teasingly, fiddling with one of her toes.

"Go to Hell, Neuro," Yako sighed, deciding to rest. Her entire body felt a little tingly, but the creature didn't seem to hurt her at all. Stranger still, it smelled oddly sweet and fruity—like shampoo or Jell-O. An odd comfort, to be sure.

"Do you want to come along?" The Demon offered pleasantly. "The acid lake country is very nice around summer."

"Pass, but thanks anyway," she replied, deciding not to point out that it was late autumn here in the Human world. "Are you finished yet? I haven't gone through the mail yet today."

It made the Hell-Spawn burn just a little to be told that his entertainment was actually considered less important than the day's post and pushed her head into the displacing gelatin. He ignored the frantic flails of Yako's hands and feet, likely her only way to display her desperate cry for oxygen, instead taking note of any possible Puzzles. He didn't sense any ripe Mysteries anywhere in town, so as far as he was concerned, he had the entire day to whittle away at the Human girl without—

He was promptly interrupted by the knocking of one of his flying insects on the outside of the window. Someone was coming.

Sighing unhappily, Neuro pulled Yako's head back out. He smiled when she took in a deep, desperate gulp of air. She actually looked oddly fetching, her face flushed and eyes watering from lack of oxygen. It was hilarious that she could not even go a full minute without oxygen, while he went without miasma daily.

"Someone is coming up the stairs," Neuro announced, sending the creature away and dropping Yako unceremoniously and messily upon the floor. "Answer the door."

Once she assessed that everything was once again in its proper place and undamaged, Yako noted that she was completely covered in slime. Even her hair was sticky with the fruity smelling goo—which made her more upset than anything—and she glared at the Demon moving to stand by the windows. But before she could unleash any complaints, there came the predicted knock upon the door, and she decided to save her ire for later and answer it.

She knew she looked quite the mess, covered from head to foot in sticky slime, but smiled courteously to the delivery boy waiting beyond the threshold. "Hello. May I help you?"

It took him a second, but he recovered from seeing her odd state and read the paper on his clipboard smoothly enough. "Katsuragi Yako-san?"

"Speaking."

"Special delivery for you, Miss," he smiled, motioning to the box resting at his feet, and offering her the clipboard, as well as a pen. "Sent just this morning, with direct instructions to get it to you before noon."

Signing for the package, and thanking him for his trouble, Yako took the box inside. She was mildly surprised at how light it was, despite it being rather big.

"What is it?" Neuro asked casually, opening window to allow a breeze through the office and a better view of the street below.

"Dunno," Yako shrugged, leaving the box on the coffee table as she moved to take a towel from Akane and attempt to clean herself off. "Could be a bomb, for all I know. I get as much stuff from fans as I do haters all the time. It's not—What are you doing?!"

Neuro had moved from behind 'Troy' to the ceiling and hung over the box, one glove off to cut the tape sealing the package with his knife-like fingers. "If it is a bomb," he smiled helpfully, "I want to solve it."

Of course, the Demon would have known right away—the very moment it came around the street corner—if it was a bomb or any sort of Puzzle. His curiosity at his Human's receiving such a large parcel just wanted to be assuaged. He was further intrigued to find a second, smooth and shiny black box inside the first.

"You liar," Yako glared as she hurried over to take back her package.

Neuro quickly took the box and glided across the ceiling before she could catch it. "How upsetting! My top slug calling me a liar, of all things!"

"I'm calling you a liar, because you _are_ a liar!" She said, chasing the Hell-Spawn back and forth, all around the office. He would occasionally lower the box ever so slightly, only to take it back just a second before Yako could grab it. "Give it _back_, Neuro! Right _now_!"

"Oh, fine," Neuro sighed, tossing the box in the direction of the open window.

Thankfully, it didn't go sailing out the window. Instead, it fell just short and hit the corner of 'Troy', knocking off the lid as it fell to the floor. But both Human and Demon were startled by the sudden bolt of shimmering, pale blue fabric that spilled out.

Yako was quick to snatch it up off the floor before Neuro did, hastily laying it out across the blood-red desk to keep from ruining it with her still sticky hands. It was a dress; an evening gown of the prettiest, pale blue silk. It was the same color as the sky around midmorning, and Yako was only further impressed to find a pair of white shoes and long white gloves still in the box on the floor.

As Yako preened over the pretty gift, Neuro spotted a card of black paper fallen out onto the floor, along with a second, longer envelope. Picking up the black paper, he read the words printed in gold aloud:

"_**Yako Katsuragi,**_

_**You are cordially invited to attend the Allied Arms and Defense Gala being held at seven o'clock this evening at the Tokyo Museum of Art. **_

_**You are required to dress accordingly and present your invitation at the door. **_

_**Sir Hellsing and many others request the pleasure of your company."**_

"_Ohmigosh_!" Yako's smile brightened, genuinely happy at the news, while Neuro went on to read the official invitation. "That's right! They said that they had some sort of business here in Japan. I didn't expect them so soon…"

Finished with the formal invitation—pretty and black with misty-white paper decorated with roses—Neuro returned to the card, turning it over, taking note of the type of paper and method of print. It was not the cheap sort of work, to be sure. And the event itself was certainly not meant for just anyone. That Yako had been singled out was another sign of how far she had come in the world. But something was odd. Not so much a Puzzle, but there was a great amount of 'something' imbued into the invitation that strummed against his senses much like his choice of food did.

"And this 'Sir Hellsing' is…?" He inquired lightly, pleasantly. "A friend? A former employer, maybe? I know! A consort! One of your many international flings!"

Yako opened her mouth to retort, but quickly stopped. Shutting her mouth again, she silently considered something. Neuro listened for the telltale rattle of her brain cells, waiting for them to likely burn out thinking. Suddenly Neuro felt the hum of his batteries, as they detected a Puzzle start to take shape. A minor Puzzle, a very small Mystery. But what made this small morsel so attention-grabbing was that the Puzzle was actually forming around Yako.

"I guess."

The Demon's smile brightened, the prospect of his Human providing him a meal was certainly odd, but he wasn't about to question it. "'You guess' what? That if you put little wheels on all of your shoes, you could just roll everywhere?"

"I guess that you would be right in saying that…_Sir_ Hellsing and I were vaguely involved," Yako clarified with a smile. Her smile broadened just a little bit when everything about Neuro came to a complete halt. "If that is what you were implying with 'consort'."

"How so?" The Demon inquired carefully, coolly.

"Well…" She considered playfully, "…there was the job I was offered with the Hellsing Organization. Our various excursions through England together. The Christmas—Oh! And the…one, two…three kisses we shared."

Neuro's smile remained in place, not moving, but still icy. "This is that one, is it? The 'mistletoe kiss' you mentioned before?"

"Are you jealous?" Yako asked, smiling with sweet curiosity.

**Jealousy**: An emotion that typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear and anxiety over an anticipated loss, particularly of something the person in question values. Nougami Neuro never _lost_ anything. Not wars, not challenges, not treasures. What was his was his, no matter how insignificant or generally useless the object may be. The very thought of him losing anything was almost laughable.

So he easily answered, "No. But I am hardly going to appreciate your attention being elsewhere when there is work to be done."

Yako sighed lightly, disappointed by his answer in some way he could not care to understand. But rather than dwell on it, she folded her arms across her chest in a pointedly defensive manner. "Are you saying you're actually going to keep me from going to this event?"

Neuro considered the fact that the black card mentioned more than just this 'Sir Hellsing' anticipating Yako's attendance. If there were other parties that Yako had formed connections and alliances with that it would prove unwise to simply overlook. It might call into question her capability and respectability in the eyes of these people.

"It would be detrimental to your position as a Detective if I did that. So of course n—"

"Great! Then you can come along as my escort!" The young woman smiled brightly. Tossing away her towel and carefully returning her dress and invitation to the box, she headed for the door. "I'll need to get cleaned up. But we'll definitely need to get you something to wear. You are _not_ going to this gala in the same old outfit. I _refuse_ to let you."

"_You_ refuse to let _me_?" Neuro grinned. "And what do you mean 'old'? This suit is rather young yet, and spun from fine blue rose silk from the gardens of the Demon Emperor's Wife. It was a gift from her before I left Hell the first time."

"Are you shagging her?" Yako inquired, suddenly sharp and short-tempered.

Neuro laughed, both at the ridiculousness of the question, as well as the expression on his Human's face. "No. The very idea of anyone bedding the Demon Emperor's Wife, much less myself, is completely—"

"Then you can dress differently tonight," she said, still curiously angry, as she managed to open the door with her foot. "I'll take a quick shower and then we'll go out to find you a suit. I'll be just a few minutes." With that, Yako left the office, using her foot again to pull the door closed after her as she headed upstairs.

Neuro felt a mild brush of amusement at Yako's deliberate rage, but easily filed it away. He moved to the computer. Logging on and passing through various wavelengths and connections, he found surprisingly little print about the man Yako held questioningly close relations with. There were a handful of photographs of his Human standing with someone tall, with long gold hair, but nothing valid or particularly incriminating.

"Does she find particularly effeminite men attractive?" He asked aloud. He would have carried on with his search, had he not noticed the almost epileptic fit the long braid of black hair was going into. "Akane. What's wrong with you?"

The living hair picked up her marker and shakily wrote **[u, laughing at u]**

"And what, pray tell, is there to laugh about that involves _me_, Akane?"

**[U r acting immature]** The braid replied, gradually gathering her composure. **[She would have been happy if you told her the truth]**

The Demon paused. "What truth?"

**[That you're jealous]**

"I am not jealous about anything," Neuro replied coolly as he returned to his search. "Only incompetent simpletons have to worry about losing their own things."

At this, Akane drooped, falling completely flat against the wall. All of her previous energy and delight she had been shaking with was gone. It was almost as if she was as dead as when they first took the office. It was so strange, Neuro actually wondered if she had given up the ghost.

"Akane? Are you still with us?"

The braid suddenly sprang to life. Catching up her black marker, scratching something across her white board and quickly hiding away behind the wall paper. It was badly written, but being the genius that he was, he could distinguish it easily enough. It read, quite simply:

**[U R SO STUPID!]**

Neuro had no idea what she could mean by that. He was more brilliant that any mind in this world or his own. His only possible rival was his Father. Figuring that the living hair was confused about something, he returned to his search. Regular methods were proving too slow, so he pulled out the Evil Script. Pushing through the screen of the monitor and dived into the ever-constant flow of the worldwide Ethernet.

Media? Nothing in public databases. Private businesses and conglomerates? Nothing in corporate systems. Government? Locally, nothing. There was a small scrap of information about annual visits to Japan from a 'Hellsing Organization'. The pig trail left by that tidbit of information was enough for him to follow. There was a large amount of news about a terrorist attack of incredible proportions on London back in the 90's, where the name came up on and off. Through the shimmering gold of British Hierarchy and the shining silver of Knights of the Round Table. In the shadows, hidden away behind the nobility and gentry, was something. A name that brought fort images of dark nights and blood-red moons.

HELLSING.

The firewalls and securities around this name were extensive. Actually taking delight in cracking through each barrier, some with more difficulty than others, Neuro would almost say he was vaguely impressed. At the very least, he was mildly surprised by all the obstructions that surrounded this organization. But in no time at all, he was almost throu—

"Neuro! Get your hand out of the internet!"

So focused on his task, Neuro hadn't noticed Yako's approach in the least. And thus dislodged from concentration, the path he had made closed behind him. He would have been unhappy, but given how speedy the recovery of the Hellsing system in his brief moment of distraction, he found himself slightly more impressed by his opponent.

"That was quick," the Demon grinned at his Human. Seeing her hair still wet from her shower, now in simple pair of jeans and a hooded sweater, he contemplated throwing an entirely new mess at her just to watch her squirm. "Didn't you need to shave certain areas of your body? You're meeting with what must be a gentleman of fortune. Surely, you'll want to look your best, given such a provocative give."

"Provocative?" Yako blinked.

"Although, I suppose if would have been more obvious if Sir Hellsing had provided undergarments along with the gown."

At this, Yako actually laughed, in spite of her attempts to fight it. "Or…the gracious Knight is saying something more to point by _not_ sending any underwear."

Neuro honestly wasn't sure how to feel about such a possibility.

"But that's fine, I'll provide my own," Yako went on smiling, as she hefted up her box as she took Neuro by the arm. "On to more important matters! We have to get you a new suit! I was thinking something darker... Bye, Akane-chan! We'll be back late!"

**[Take care!]** The braid waved. **[Say Hello to everyone for me!]**

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Neuro is impossible to shop for. This was the conclusion Yako reached within the first three minutes of their shopping expedition. Expedition. Aptly put, because it was practically like fighting your way up a mountain buried in snow and ice, where you ran the risk of breaking limbs and developing blood clots that travel to your heart and kill you.

Neuro had made out several preferences to the innocent storekeepers they met, been shown many suits, and refused them all without so much as trying them on. Yako did her best to ease the troubled looks and obvious worry for their businesses at Neuro's blatant dislike of their clothes, but it always proved to be too much and she finally dragged him from the store to shop elsewhere. Always sending a very deep bow of apology back before they left.

"You can't be a little more helpful?" Yako groused to the Demon as they walked. "We only have a few hours to get ready. Any one of those outfits would have looked great on you."

"But none of them were meant for me," Neuro said simply. "In Hell, all of my clothes are made strictly for me and no one else. I will never wear something that is mass produced."

"What about the jeans and shirts you stole from that store during the HAL incident? The ones you were wearing when you went back to Hell."

"Casual Tuesday," grinned the Demon.

Sighing, Yako had no choice but to move on. Neuro followed without complaint, likely finding a childish delight in just causing so much trouble. Of course, he would eventually grow bored with this new game and actually put an end to the ordeal, but Yako couldn't afford to just wait and let him have his fun. She already knew that it would take too much wasted time and breath to argue with him, as well as to get herself primped and polished before she got dressed.

In the end, she was forced to call in a favor with a past client who worked in fashion and ended up purchasing a one-of-a-kind suit. It was black for the most part; the coat was slightly longer than Neuro's usual, and the shirt was a simple pitch black silk. The lapel of the coat looked red at first, but moving caused the color to shift to blue and then purple, depending on the light. The tie was the same material. Over all, Yako was pleased to see her Demon wear something new, while Neuro was appalled to find it satisfactory.

Although sad that she would never have the opportunity to use that particular connection for her own benefit, Yako pleased to see her Demon in something new, as well as relieved to get herself prettied up and dressed proper. The gown was a good color for her and it accentuated her mild curves nicely. It was long and light, a sort of toga style with the only one short sleeve, leaving the other shoulder bared. Her skin was now smooth and clear, and a bit of curl had been added to her short hair. With the long gloves going up her arms and a shawl of white lace about her shoulders, she actually looked somewhat impressive by Human standards.

"Oh, so you're a _female_ of your species!" Neuro grinned as he looked his Human up and down. "I had almost forgotten."

"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious," Yako replied flatly. In no time at all, they were in a taxi headed for the gathering. "Let's hope we don't have to spend too much time in traffic."

Neuro was starting to get frustrated with how well things were turning out for Yako's evening.

Sitting beside her, Neuro caught the scent of roses and noted the white flower in her hair that had taken the place of her usual hairclip. While mildly intrigued that it was real, he scoffed at the color. "A blue rose would have sat better with the dress," he said.

Yako sat back as the car started moving again, giving Neuro a curious look. "You mentioned blue roses once before. Are they common where you come from?"

"No more common than they are here," the Demon replied with a genuine smile. "There's only one bush of blue roses in Hell, and that belongs to the Demon Emperor's Wife. It was supposedly his first successful gift to her."

"Cool. Well, we don't have natural blue roses here," Yako shrugged lightly, rolling her bare shoulder. "I know that there are various dying methods to turn white roses blue, but it's all artificial."

"Well, that is to be expected," Neuro went on. "Now that I think of it, the story goes that the Emperor was gathering samples to impress his wife, and the rose sample was altered so that it wouldn't offend the rest of the garden. The wood came out like the shell of a beetle, shifting from black, to green, to yellow, to blue—depending on where you stood. And the blooms were varying shades of dark blue."

Yako decided against asking what he meant by 'offend the rest of the garden', passing it off as another Demon thing. "I know a story about a blue rose," she offered. "My Dad would tell it to me all the time; it was his favorite. It…" She paused. "Nah, nevermind. You'd find it stupid."

"That's not hard for most things in this world," the Demon grinned.

"Then I shan't try your patience with this," the young woman replied with dramatic politeness.

Neuro could appreciate her decision not to prattle on with useless stories. But he was also oddly discomfited without it. Before, she would tell him things without thinking and he would proceed to tear it apart, figuratively and literally if he found the time. Now that he thought about it, Yako had not spouted anything that went beyond work in the last month—although her constant "No" was infuriating. Naturally, he preferred to remain focused on where his next meal would come from. Anything else was hardly worth acknowledging, and what was could be noted and filed away for a later time.

So he had to wonder why this suddenly came as a slight irritation.

Arriving at the Museum just as it was getting dark, it was already crowded with people. Stepping out of the vehicle, Yako smoothed herself out—double checking that Neuro didn't make a mess somewhere, she actually asked the taxi driver's opinion on her appearance—and smiled to the other people she passed. The path to the doors was laid with a red carpet and roped off to separate the patrons from the various reporters and admirers snapping pictures. Neuro noted the fair number of well-dressed guardsmen—the people taking the invitations included—and was amused that some had actually managed to blended in with the crowd, but kept it to himself.

And while young, and certainly not any symbol of authority, Yako somehow meshed well with the environment. Even with her naturally gold hair that was uncommon to her dark-haired nationality, she simply presented her invitation to the well-dressed people at the door with an air of calm assurance. Allowing them to scan her small purse and person for any sort of weapon or whatnot before they were allowed inside, Yako was privately relieved that Neuro did not set off any alarms—though she could tell by his pensive silence that he was tempted—and they passed the threshold.

He didn't offer his arm, and she didn't ask for it.

The entire hall was glittering gold with candlelight. Music moved at a calm pace. Fine food and drink were served to the many guests of various nationalities, dressed in various forms of expensive clothing and jewelry—though many were dressed down in the uniforms of various military factions from various countries.

There was a man standing by the doorway that announced, "Yako Katsuragi and escort!" as they entered. A few people looked up at her name, lighting up but keeping to their own circles as she passed by. She, in turn, acknowledged them with a smile, but nothing more. Perhaps to allow them their privacy and keep it from being known that she had at one time been hired by these very people.

Yako suddenly stopped next to a particularly well-decorated soldier of the French military, smiling as she put on hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Colonel! How wonderful to see you again! I hope your daughter's cello lessons are going well…"

The Colonel was swift to lay a kiss on the back of her gloved hand and bask under her smile while assuring her of his daughter's lessons were going very well. As they turned to leave, Neuro happened to catch the Colonel's friend ask, "Who was that?" Only to receive an unsure shrug in reply.

"He didn't know you," Neuro pointed out as they got themselves simple glasses of water—as Yako was still not of legal drinking age, and Neuro's system wouldn't necessarily take well to Human liquor—and settled in a quiet corner of the hall.

"It's unlikely that he's even heard of me," Yako agreed. "But I know him. He was involved in a case about a year ago. Barely, but it warranted looking into at the time."

Able to recall the time when Yako would turn white and tremble with the very notion of speaking in front of complete strangers, Neuro was pleased to see how easily she could do so now.

As the evening carried on, he would say he was beyond pleased, as patron after patron stopped to exchange briefly with the young woman once known as the High School Detective. A polite word here, a kind offering of news here, and even the occasional offering of food. The Demon was openly surprised when Yako accepted each offering of words graciously, but politely refused any food that was brought to her. Instead, once a moment presented itself, she served herself only a small plate of various refreshments.

"I hate these sorts of gatherings," Yako sighed, popping a piece of shrimp in her mouth. "I can never fill myself up the way I want to."

"Then why not accept all the dishes that have been offered if you're body demands satisfaction?" Neuro asked. "Is this a case of masochism? Or do you not comprehend the offerings that have been placed before you thus far?"

"Nah, I have to be careful when food comes from other people," she sighed again. "I can't be completely open about simply accepting things like that anymore. If I were to receive a wonderful meal, eat it and the one to give it to me were to ask a favor in return, I would feel obligated to accept no matter what. It sucks, but I've had to be more cautious about this sort of thing for a while now."

Neuro had honestly never considered such a reason for her to be cautious of her own food. It's not as if she signed a contract or made any vow to repay any actions that others took to serve her. Certainly, poisons and such could be added to any sort of meal so she would likely need to wary when travelling and such, but to bind oneself by a personal obligation was an odd thing for the Demon to consider anyone worrying about.

"Why not dine and dash, then? It actually seems the sort of lifestyle that would fit you," Neuro grinned sweetly, his mask still in place so as not to attract attention. "I doubt it would be hard for something of your disposition to—"

"Miss Detective!"

The sweet outcry barely reached their ears before a mass of golden curls collided with Yako's back and a pair young of arms held her about the waist. Out of the hair, two big brown eyes sparkled up at the Detective and her Assistant. Comparing the present image with when he last saw her, Neuro could hardly say that Miyasako Mutsuki had changed in anything more size.

"Mutsuki-chan!" Yako turned to return the hug to the twelve year-old girl. "What are you doing here? This is hardly where I'd expect to see you."

"I'm on a date," the young heiress replied, bright and happy. Pulling back, she showed off her frilly white party dress, as well as the iris tied around her wrist. "He even gave me a corsage! Isn't it pretty?"

The flower was nice enough, but what drew the eyes of both Partners was the rather large and impressive blue stone that hung from a simple silver chain around the girl's neck. It was cut in the shape of a drop, and was almost ridiculously large to be worn as a necklace of such a young girl. Neuro noticed Yako's sudden halt at the sight of it, as well as the gradual relaxation of her shoulders, though it was hardly due to any ease of tension. It was more like she was bracing herself for a fight that she was unenthusiastic to take part in.

"Where is he?" She asked, sighing heavily.

"Talking with some grown-ups," Mutsuki pouted, fiddling with the stone. "We were supposed to hang out together, but he had some stuff to take care of here first. It's boring, but I didn't want him to forget about me again."

"As if I could actually forget about you," answered a dark-chocolate voice, accompanied by the shadow the man seemed to wear as easily as his black suit. Putting his arms around Mutsuki from behind—careful of the drink in his hand—the elder Hayasaka brother smiled down at her. "There were circumstances before, I told you. I didn't forget your birthday; I was just caught in a matter of business."

"But then you were in the hospital, and we still didn't get to have any fun until a week after!" The girl moped. But she returned the hug to his arms, accepting what seemed to be an unending apology from the man.

Hayasaka Hisanori then turned his usual 'panther smile' to the Demon and human. And while his eyes were hidden behind his shades, Neuro could feel the particular pressure of the human male's attention settle on him. "Hello, Detective. And to your Assistant also. I heard you had come back. Sadly, I haven't at the time to come by and…welcome you back to the neighborhood."

Neuro offered a sugar-sweet smile to the black market tradesman. "Indeed? Your work must keep you busy…" Black and emerald eyes drifted to the twelve year-old girl. "Though not so busy that you can't find the time to prey upon the young, I see."

Hisanori visibly bristled, his smile tightening to a toothy sneer, and he might have actually gone for whatever weapon he kept hidden on his person had Mutsuki not pulled from his embrace to stand directly in front of Neuro. The girl actually glared up at the Demon with all the ferocity her angelic face could offer.

"Take that back!" She said hotly. "I won't let you bully and call Hisa-san bad names! He's a bad man, but he's a nice bad man! He would never treat me bad, so take it back!"

Yako was hardly surprised at Mutsuki's reaction, as she had become extremely protective of the Hayasaka brothers ever since they had helped rescue her years ago. What surprised and amused the human girl was Neuro's expression of open shock that one so small would stand up to him—it reminded Yako of the few times she herself had caught the Demon by surprise and it was very refreshing to see it again.

But not wanting anything more violent to come from either side of the argument, Yako quickly returned to the primary object of concern. "Mutsuki-chan, that is a beautiful necklace you're wearing."

The young girl's smile brightened and her cheeks flushed with delight as she held up the stone in question. "Isn't it great? Hisa-san gave it to me as a late birthday present a while ago! I love it!"

"It really is pretty," Yako said. And although affectionate, her words held a distinct warning as she directed a rather sharp look to the black Hayasaka brother. "It actually looks an awful lot like this one jewel I saw in a museum in Greece one time. I think they called it 'Neptune's Eye', or something like that."

"A ridiculous name for such a thing," Hisanori shrugged.

The Detective went on, "As I recall, there were quite a few unscrupulous people looking for that rock."

"As do I," the man nodded. "I'd hate to see any trouble caused over such a thing—if it got lost or anything would be terrible—so we made a deal."

"I'll only ever wear it on really special occasions!" Mutsuki smiled, sweet as candy floss as she held the stone close to her heart. "When I'm not wearing it, it goes in a box that I put away in a very special hiding place, so it doesn't go missing."

While still unhappy, Yako was willing to accept that.

"So, Detective, what brings you here this evening?" Hisanori asked, as was expected of regular conversations.

"An invitation on fancy paper," she replied bluntly, taking a sip of water from her glass. "You're the same, I expect?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, actually. I guess you came at the request of some past employers? Many of which have yet to actually approach you for fear of their reputations being tarnished?"

"One in particular," Neuro answered with a dramatic sigh. "Poor man must be so embarrassed by sensei. Even after sending her a gown and everything, he hasn't even stepped forward yet."

"Oh?" Hisanori's interest was piqued, not only by the information of where Yako's dress came from but by the creature's peculiar act of picking at the subject. "And who is this spineless fellow, if you don't mind my asking?"

Neuro feigned meek uncertainty. "I don't have a full name just yet, but it was something rather colorful… Hellsing! That was the man's name."

Hayasaka Hisanori's response did not come immediately. Raising one eyebrow and looking to Yako—who offered a genuine smile and a roll of the eyes—he was silent and still a good ten seconds before he started curling in on himself a little bit and trembling. Neuro wondered briefly if the man was in some sort of pain, upset that he had not been part of the cause, before realizing that the dark man was struggling to not laugh. Of course the Demon was confused by this, as he had neither seen nor heard anything that would bring amusement to anyone. Perhaps something Neuro had said had triggered a memory or some such nonsense.

But Neuro's attention was swiftly drawn to his human as something beyond him caught her attention and her face lit up with a smile as bright as Christmas. With only a quick "I'll be back," to excuse her, the Detective took off. The Demon followed his human's form across the vast hall to the entrance, just as a new pair was entering.

The first thing to catch anyone's notice was the tall, buxom, blonde woman dressed in a blood red gown. She looked fairly young, though her bare arms had a definite muscle structure that exuded power beyond her size. Alongside her walked her taller superior—made obvious by the stance the blonde took in proximity to anyone else that approached. Dark, Italian skin, a lithe body and almost-white gold hair that went down to his knees, the stranger was incredibly effeminate. Even with the black patch over his left eye, he had the appearance of an incredibly handsome woman.

It was as Yako stopped just short of the doors that Neuro understood that this was the one to invite her here.

And it was just as he began to wonder about his human's taste in mates that his other senses followed his sight, filling in gaps and telling him something he had not expected in the least. And this revelation was immediately followed by the announcement of the pair:

"Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, accompanied by Seras Victoria!"

Sir Hellsing was, in fact, Female.

"You should see the look on your face," Hisanori chuckled over his drink, patting Mutsuki's fair head affectionately. "Oh, to be a painter."

Neuro didn't even bother with a retort to the man's remarks. He knew his shock was obvious; he honestly couldn't bring himself to hide it, much less care. All his attention was centered on Yako as she waited and finally joined hands with both women. All three smiled—though Yako and the one called Seras Victoria practically beamed rays of sunshine at each other—and began chatting like old friends. Whatever the topics of conversation, the two older women blinked at something Yako said and then followed the motion of her hand to look directly at Neuro.

Sir Hellsing's one blue eye zeroed in on the Demon, taking him in with a single careful look. And she smiled, her dark lips parting to show off her perfect white teeth in shady amusement. Her blonde companion also smiled, her teeth an even more perfect shade of white with particularly long and sharp canines, and her sunset colored eyes glittered with an almost childlike mirth. Whatever it was the two women knew, they were not inclined to withhold the obvious smug superiority they seemed to feel about it, even as they carried on with their conversation with Yako.

That alone would have been enough to set Neuro after them to improve their attitude. But he was once forced into stillness when Sir Hellsing took Yako's hand, bringing the younger woman's knuckles to her lips before then motioning to the dance floor. The Detective struggled against the suggestion, waving her free hand lightly in an effort to deny the request. But dismissing any refusal, Sir Hellsing led her to the floor—Yako fighting her the whole way—and pulled the younger woman close.

It took a moment, as Yako's feet moved in an awkward and uncertain pattern, but in no time at all, the two were moving to the music with grace and pride. Yako actually looked good, stepping back and forth, spinning, the fabric of her dress shimmering in the candlelight, smiling with a gentle flush to her cheeks. She was clearly enjoying herself.

Neuro was brought back by Hisanori's dark chuckle, and he found the man grinning even broader than usual at him. "She's a simple girl, the Detective," he said, "yet she continues to dazzle the world with what she can accomplish. Sometimes without even trying."

The Demon smiled coldly, showing off just a little of his teeth. "Oh? And what has she done now that warrants such a remark?"

Hisanori finished off the last of the champagne in his glass with ease. "Just now, you looked almost like a kid who saw their parents spoiling another child."

Neuro made no moves, not in his stature or in his face. But Hisanori got the odd sense that the monster didn't understand what he meant, and was surprisingly glad to explain himself.

"Envy and jealousy are brand new things to see on your face. But I get the feeling they're also brand new concepts for you, too. Am I wrong in thinking that?"

The 'Brain-Eater' paused to consider this. He would suppose that they would be alien sensations. What was his was his. What he wanted, he got and he kept. There was no need to be insecure or resentful when his things were handled, because they were still his belongings and no one was capable of taking them from him.

But looking to this woman—this clearly strong and powerful human woman from across the sea—as she danced with his Partner, there was a slight sting. It actually started to burn when Sir Integra Hellsing glanced in his direction and smiled a rather haughty smile. As if she had a right to what belonged to him. And Yako did nothing to discourage such blatant disrespect—she had actually encouraged it, in a way.

It was an overall unpleasant sensation he would hardly stand for suffering.

Smiling pleasantly, Neuro pointed to the black man's empty glass, asking, "Can I see that a moment?"

Raising one eyebrow, but genuinely curious, Hisanori gave the champagne glass over to the monster without question.

The very instant he had it in hand, Neuro turned and hurled the glass at Yako and her dance partner faster than the human eye could possibly follow.

But it never hit its target.

Just as swiftly as he had thrown it, a strange blackness shot out of nowhere, caught the glass, and vanished.

Only a few humans had noticed the black, inquiring after it, rubbing their eyes and quickly dismissing it as a power surge of some kind before returning to their own business.

Truly, there was no explanation for what had occurred. Neuro carefully replayed the anomaly, frame by frame in his memory, but whatever it had been was not something he was familiar with in accordance with the Human Realm. Though if he was completely honest, no matter how impossible it seemed, the 'Brain-Eater' admitted that the blackness was very similar to certain guardians in the Demon Emperor's palace.

As he brought this impossibility into consideration, he noticed Sir Hellsing's little blonde companion making her way across the hall. Passing various people, some who paused to watch her rather generous figure go by, her sunset-colored eyes remained fixed on Neuro with a sweet and knowing smile until she finally stood before him.

Her attention shifted to Hisanori, and offered him the empty champagne glass in her hand. "I believe _this_ is yours. Though I would suggest you forgo drinking out of it again."

Smile broadening, the man accepted the glass-based projectile back—flinching at how freezing cold it was—without question as he nodded his head. "Thank you for your trouble, Miss."

Bowing lightly in return, the blonde's gaze returned to Neuro, taking note of his entire form and every detail in his face. "You must be Neuro," she went on breezily. "Now that I've seen you, I can see how such an odd name fits you just right."

Neuro didn't bother pulling up his more human façade, as her eyes seemed more attentive and knowing than any dull gaze of the most decorated of soldiers in the gathering. Although he was unsure what this woman knew, he was confident that Yako could not have given them any of the particulars—his human had proven her loyalty in that already—so he had no worries about being exposed or subjected to Hell's Laws. But the smell of blood and shadow that saturated the air around this woman was nothing to disregard.

Stretching his senses, he neither heard nor smelled any Hell Blood. But it was not hard to see that this woman was not human.

"Don't you find it a little rude, to know one's name and not offer your own?" The Demon asked, pleasant and cool. In Hell, it was unnecessary to exchange names under most conditions, but he was willing to use something of the Human Realm to gain what he could.

"Seras Victoria," she smiled, warm and careful. She did not bow or curtsy or even offer her hand. "I serve Master Integra. Though you clearly knew both of those things. The first was announced; the second was witnessed."

Neuro nodded, smiling with an almost childish curiosity. "I am to understand you know of me from Yako, then?"

"Naturally," Seras replied.

"How did you meet Yako, if I may ask?" Inquired Neuro politely.

"You may ask, though I may not necessarily answer," Seras smiled sweetly. "I'm certain she can tell you about it later, if she wants to. She's told me a few things about you that make you mildly intriguing."

"Oh…?" Neuro's eyes narrowed, his tone nearly glacial. "Has she, now?"

Able to feel the cold tension between the two of them, Hisanori took Mutsuki's hand and took his leave of their company. As much as he enjoyed seeing the Monster Assistant being harassed, if it actually turned ugly, his didn't need his little heiress to be caught in the middle of the ordeal. He silently wished them a good bout, and prayed that the Detective would tell him about it later.

"And how much has she told you?"

The blonde's smile broadened, as sweet as candy and as sharp as a knife. "A few…choice words about your character. We were also told, quite simply, that you are _**not**_ a Vampire."

At this, Neuro blinked. He recalled Yako once mentioning Vampires, but he had waved it off as a mere trick to throw his thoughts off kilter at the time. But it appeared there was actually some credibility to his human's words. There existed Demons that drank blood, but they were hardly like the Vampire's of the Above's fictional tripe.

A quiet fell between the two of them as they took each other in. Neither one surrendering or finding anything that they would not have to dig for. For Seras, she was unfamiliar with this creature, as similar as he was to a certain someone, he was not of anything she had encountered before. With Neuro, he was certain that she was not of Hell-Blood, though his instincts told him that this woman was indeed a Demon, which brought a rare confusion.

Finally, Seras Victoria sighed wistfully. "You are a little bit like him. But not the same." She shrugged. "Even so, I am happy for her. She didn't have to wait very long at all for you. We still have some years to go, I think."

Before Neuro could inquire further about the odd subject and the riddle of her words, there came a series of clapping that drew his gaze to the dance floor. At last, the music came to an end and all the dancers and observers had stopped to applaud the band and each other. Yako and Sir Hellsing left before the next song, and while the first moved to enjoy the snack table, the latter excused herself to head towards Neuro and Seras. The petite blonde left the Demon's side to meet her master a few steps shy of where he stood and leaned close to speak quietly. Of course, Neuro could still hear them.

"So?" The handsome woman asked her bodyguard softly

Seras Victoria shook her head with a helpless smile on her lips and an uncertain roll of her shoulders. "No clue, Master Integra."

Seeming to accept the unhelpful answer, Integra sent her red-clad servant away with a wave of her hand. Turning her single blue eye to Neuro, she looked him up and down, taking in his height and appearance, and scrutinizing him as one might a lobster they've chosen to eat at a restaurant. Suddenly, even before she seemed to finish mentally dissecting him, she waved her hand to a set of glass doors that led out to a balcony.

"Care to join me for a cigarette?"

Neuro smiled unperturbedly. "I don't smoke."

The Knight didn't so much as flinch. "Care to join me, all the same? There are some things I would like to discuss with you, if that's alright?"

The two left the bright lights and constant noise of the gathering to step out into the cool night air, both taking comfort in the silence. Reaching into her coat, Integra pulled out a lighter, a fairly large silver cylinder and a cutter of some sort. Popping the top off and pulling out a cigar rather than the smaller counterpart, and snipping off one end, she lit it.

Integra took a long, deep breath from her cigar, holding it, and slowly releasing the smoke. "Yako told me a bit about you. That you started out as her assistant. Also, that you are _not_ a Vampire."

"So I've been told," Neuro shrugged, still unsure what this had to do with anything.

"Naturally, her outright saying so makes me curious," the woman went on. "It made me wonder if you actually _are_ a Vampire, and she was merely saying that in an effort to steer us away. But she's a good kid. Honest, and smart enough to know better than to try and fool us. And we've been through enough together that I can trust her to tell me the truth on such a matter." She shook of a little bit of ash off the end of her cigar. "Of course, if you are _not_ a Vampire, one must wonder what you actually are, yes?"

At this, Neuro grinned, showing off his teeth. "You know so few types of people? Your social life must be very bleak. Though is it understandable, what with your masculine-feminine dislocation, and such." He suddenly raised his more human mask, covering his mouth in faux innocence. "Oh! Did I say that last part out loud? Oh, my…"

Integra chewed on the end of her cigar with a snort. "Yako was right. You _are_ an ass!"

The 'foreigner' grinned contentedly. "Good to know she's gained enough backbone to say what she truly thinks out loud."

"You're proud of her for that? I'll be sure to remember that," the Knight grinned back. "Good to know the man she's been waiting for can care about that much. There may yet be hope for you to take proper care of her."

The Demon's obsidian-emerald eyes narrowed in curious scrutiny. "Are you not pursuing her?"

Integra blinked, and actually laughed. "Is that what you thought? No wonder you were giving me such a nasty look!"

Neuro wondered about this last part, as he was certain he had made no expression at all, aside from his initial shock at discovering her to be female.

"The kisses we shared…" She smiled coolly at the slight grind of the 'foreigner's' teeth, "…were under mistletoe. It was more like a holiday game. And as she is someone I can genuinely respect, there is no harm in sending her a gift every now and again, or extending an invitation to a bland gathering such as this." Another drag from her cigar. "And I will admit to holding some mild attraction to her—and she does not frown upon those who take to both men and women in that particular way—it was made clear fairly early on that her interests lay elsewhere."

He chose to ignore the smooth eyebrow that arched impertinently at him. "But you want something from her," the Hell-Blood persisted evenly. "It stands to reason that her competence holds some value, otherwise you would not have offered her a place in your organization."

"Of course," the woman breathed another cloud of smoke. "Someone of her skill would be good to have within reach at the best of times. As it stands, her work lies outside my organization's scope—as odd as _that_ turned out to be—so I've settled with knowing that she is at least on my side."

Neuro allowed silence to settle between them as the British Knight went on smoking her cigar. Truly, Neuro wanted to be angry with Yako for riling him up so much for nothing. But in all honesty, he was impressed with her for being able to fool him. That was certainly not an easy feat, much less for the girl he had left behind three Human years ago. It was yet another testament to her growth. Another part of her that he had no control over.

For some peculiar reason, this last thought made his skin prickle unpleasantly.

"Well, so long as she doesn't wander off too far in the future," the Demon smiled with an unconcerned shrug. "It won't do me any good if she's on any other side than mine."

At this, Integra paused in her smoking to look at Neuro with a sudden realization in her one, pretty blue eye. Her battle-ready form actually relaxed and she looked at him with a gentle smile.

As often as Neuro has seen such an expression, that it would be directed at him made—at this very moment—absolutely no sense at all.

"You remind me of someone, just a little bit," she said. She watched as the light of her cigar ate further and further up the tightly bound cancer-stick with a gentle fondness. "He was…_is_ terrible, selfish, powerful, evil. But at the same time, he was incredibly vulnerable—almost child-like in the most unexpected of ways. But he loved us. More than anything else, I truly believe he loved us. He let us know that much."

Integra took another drag from her cigar, this time turning to blow the smoke right into Neuro's face. The Demon didn't so much as flinch, instead smiling and actually breathing the fumes in with a childlike delight.

She noticed and smiled again, but the expression was once again cool and aloof. "You want her, don't you? Yako?"

Neuro's eyes and smile turned icy. "She's already mine."

"If that were true, you wouldn't have been so worried about her coming here to meet someone," the woman scoffed. "If you had just asked her directly, she probably would have told you the truth. You probably flew off the handle about the dress and everything."

"I asked her," he replied. "She twisted her words to make me believe you were actually competing for her. Also, that you were a _man_."

Integra gave a philosophical shrug. "She probably just didn't correct you so she could see the look on your face. Furthermore, the fact that she feels the need to fool you into 'competing' for her shows that there is some failure on your methods of courting her."

"I don't _have_ to court her," Neuro said simply. "She already promised herself to me. She's _mine_."

The woman shook more ash from her cigar with a sigh. "That is clearly not so. When a woman wants to make a man jealous, it's because she wants to feel desirable. If Yako wants to spur you on, it's because you don't make her feel like you really want her. And if that is indeed the case, you should be more attentive to her needs."

"Oh?" The Demon perked with mock interest. "And why would that be?"

"A woman's heart can change much faster than men like to think. The heart which beat only for you until yesterday may yet come to beat for someone else tomorrow." Integra fixed the Demon with a cool glare. "If this is so completely beyond your understanding… If you can't even _desire_ the woman you're pursuing so fiercely… That would be a true failure. And I can honestly say that you don't deserve her."

The man glared, smiling coldly at the strong woman before him. He didn't like that she seemed to know so much, or that she was actually someone that might actually challenge for Yako—and not simply for her capacity in dealing with humans. He certainly didn't like that this woman felt like she could lecture him as though he was a child. Like she knew how to handle Yako better than he did.

"I'm offering you this so that it won't be the first real failure in your life, Mr. Assistant." Grinding out her cigar and leaving it on the railing, Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing turned and went back inside, leaving the 'Brain-Eater' Neuro on the balcony without a backward glance.

If she had looked back, she might have seen the odd-haired man pick up the butt of her cancer-stick and engulf it in a blue-green flame that ate it in mere seconds, leaving not even ash to mark its passing.

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The evening carried on without incident. Which was almost a shame. While viewing the various works of art, talking with past clients and acquaintances, Yako felt momentarily guilty when she actually wished that there would be a robbery or a murder or _something_ to liven up the gathering. But the moment passed and the world was as it should be. Peaceful, serene and boring as death. She was honestly surprised that nothing else had been thrown since Neuro's first attempt. In fact, the Demon had made himself rather scarce, though Yako still caught sight of him here and there and didn't feel the need to worry about him. Not too much, anyway.

Yako spoke with Seras and Integra only a couple more times, as the pair actually had business to attend to. She did her best to stay out of their way, but the times they did stop to talk were brief and pleasant. They didn't ask further about Neuro, though she was certain they had plenty of questions. But just as Yako respected the secrecy of the one she knew they were waiting for, they respected the one she had found again.

When Yako had first crossed paths with the Hellsing Organization, it had been during one of her smaller trips to Europe. She came to a small town of little consequence. It turned out to be controlled by a power-crazy, blood-thirsty Vampire, who had either killed everyone or turned them into zombies. Through sheer luck, she had managed to stay out of reach, and quite literally ran into Seras Victoria as she arrived to deal with the problem. Yako was taken into custody by men in red uniforms, questioned for three days and then released.

Simple and clean, compared to her second run-in.

That had been a similar situation on a much grander scale. An entire district of London had been closed off to contain the outbreak of Ghouls. During which time, Yako had once again met with the Grim Reapers, and then the head of Hellsing and her bodyguard. It probably would have been painfully abnormal for any ordinary person. But for Yako, who had already seen a good share of irregular people and things in her teenage years, it could only be described as surreal. It was strange, yet somehow comforting to encounter others who knew that there existed people and creatures kept secret from the rest of the world.

It had actually helped Yako to feel less lonely in the world, especially when it was discovered that she, Integra and Seras were all waiting for someone. Neither side revealed too much, but they still shared and interesting amount of similarities between their inhuman men. However, where Yako had only had to wait three years, Seras and Integra had been waiting over a decade and counting. Yako had been honestly relieved to find neither woman resented her for already having found her Demon again.

Late into the night, bored and sleepy, Yako decided she had had enough and bid the party a fond farewell to all who stood nearby.

"_Mon petite_! Leaving so soon?" A beautiful red-haired woman asked sweetly as she hung off the arm of a French General.

"Sorry. But at any given moment, my friend'll turn into a pumpkin," Yako offered with a wave.

She was almost immediately met by Neuro at the door. She was not particularly startled, slipping her shawl back around her shoulders, and managed to smile brightly at him in spite of her exhaustion. "Where did you slip off to? I hardly saw you all evening…"

Neuro shrugged. "Nowhere of particular note. This was a very bland gathering of soldiers. No one tried to kill each other at all."

"Yeah, I was pretty desperate for some action, too," Yako laughed. "Too bad for us, eh?"

Neuro smiled pleasantly at her, but something about the expression was oddly muted.

"Neuro, is something wrong?"

At this, the Demon's grin returned in full force. "Do you want general or particular evils?"

"Surprise me," she sighed as she hailed a cab. They headed back to the office, Neuro all the while spouting strange and general statistics that Yako had a general understanding of. She was certain that the unfortunate cab driver had no clue whatsoever, and had to suffer in silence as the Demon carried on during the whole drive.

Making it back to the building—tipping the driver for his trouble and trauma—Yako was relieved to set foot in the elevator and hit the button for the office floor. The brief ascension was remarkably silent, neither Detective nor Assistant stretching out any conversation or comment. Yako was honestly concerned what could trouble her Demon into silence, but couldn't find the right words to break it.

Reaching their floor, they walked together until Neuro veered off and entered the office, closing the door behind him with nary a nod to Yako's 'good-night'. Sighing, but willing to accept it as always, Yako pressed on and climbed the stairs to her room.

Since Neuro had come back, Yako had avoided using her office apartment in an honest effort to keep away from him as much as possible. But tonight, she had just been too tired to hope to make it home.

Yako slipped out of her shoes with a grateful sigh, dropping her small purse on the bed before reaching back to undo the buttons of her dress. It was a bit of a fight—there were a lot of buttons—but once free of the silk, she pulled on a simple pair of lavender pajamas, had a generous snack, and climbed into bed.

Setting her stereo to play something calm to sleep to, Yako honestly hoped there would be a Puzzle ready for Neuro to solve in the morning. If food was involved, he would likely be back to his old self again. She was fairly certain Integra and/or Seras has said something to him—they had an odd way of throwing people off balance—but decided to put off asking until tomorrow. She was tired and hoped a good night's sleep would set things to rights.

Within minutes of turning off the light and settling into her pillow, she was asleep. Not even the shadowy presence brushing against her consciousness was enough to keep her awake.

Neuro, once again clad in his white vest-shirt and blue pants, laid back against the ceiling as he gazed down at his sleeping human. He had granted her some privacy as she prepared for bed, but saw no reason to leave her unattended the rest of the night.

It had been some time since he had watched her sleep so deeply and contentedly. It used to happen often enough before the New Bloodline attacked. Worn out after a long day of work, knocked unconscious or enjoying the rare quiet moment, Yako used to nap on one of the sofas in the office and Neuro would stretch out on the ceiling to rest. Of course, his brain didn't require the same amount of sleep as a human, so he would wake up much sooner, eventually grow bored with the quiet and wake his human back up to entertain him.

This time, however, the 'Brain-Eater' Neuro dropped down from the ceiling, carefully and quietly, and sat down on the edge of the bed to take note of the slightest of changes to her face. Relaxed in sleep, she still looked young, but not as young as before. Looking at her closely, recalling all the people that had stopped to speak with her tonight, seeing how she had carried herself like a real woman, Neuro realized that Yako had kept her word. She was shining bright enough for everyone to see her. She was one of the very best in her line of work. She had become everything he needed her to be.

He had left her three years ago, confidant that she would live up to her word.

And she had let him go, confidant that he would live up to his.

He had promised to return, and he had.

He had also promised to be hers if she was his. But hadn't she prevented that by denying his offer of marriage? If she gave in to him, he would have her, as she had promised he could. And in doing so, she would have him in return. It had seemed simple enough, but thus far it had proven to be a genuinely frustrating challenge.

If she wanted him as much as she seemed to, all she had to do was accept him. She had confessed to loving him, to wanting him as her own. Yet she denied him and herself, keeping him in her company while refusing his offer of marriage.

In Earth's nature, the males of a species would be much more colorful and be required to woo the usually bland female to procreate. It was obvious that humans behaved differently from every other species on their planet. Humans were the complete opposite: women were constantly presenting themselves to men. Jewelry, make-up, perfume, clothes—all were used with the ideal of finding a male and securing him.

Yako still sought his approval, that much was evident in how she carried out the cases they received. She still wanted his attention, otherwise she would not speak to him, even while refusing him. But the idea that she would actually desire he compete for her was new to him.

Settling down beside her, Neuro made himself comfortable. Propping up one elbow and resting his head in his hand, Neuro watched his human breathe as he tried to understand her odd methods and reasons for eluding him.

He also didn't appreciate the fact that everyone who was aware of the battle between him and his Human had openly mocked his inability to win her.

Win her?

_Win_ her?

Why should he have to compete for her at all? She already belonged to him!

…But the fact that he had believed that one 'Sir Hellsing' was competing for what was rightfully his and that he had been willing to face 'him' and win it was unusual. He realized that he had felt threatened, which was incredibly unusual. There could never be any real rival for his Human—surely, no one could compare to him. Her loyalty was secured, and had her love for him did not appear to have faltered, even if she refused to accept his demands for marriage.

All the same, he had actually felt his ownership had been endangered of a faceless foe that Yako had felt some genuine attachment towards.

"_A woman's heart can change much faster than men like to think. The heart which beat only for you until yesterday may yet come to beat for someone else tomorrow." _

That's what Integra had said.

The Demon was loathed to admit that he actually considered the Knight's words on and off throughout the course of the evening. He didn't take kindly to being lectured, and he certainly didn't enjoy people weaker than him feeling like they have an advantage over him. Humans were an adapting species, working though pain to overcome even the greatest of obstacles. They could accomplish more in one short lifetime than most Demons in two generations. It was one of the things Neuro liked about them. But Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing—_'Her name is too long for someone not of royalty!'_ He thought, exasperated—had actually succeeded in putting a prick of concern in him.

Could Yako be encouraged to look elsewhere? Could Yako actually let her eyes stray, and allow her body to follow suit? Could Yako truly move past him? Could she actually overcome the mark he had left in her life?

…Yes, she could.

She was strong enough that she could actually do it. She had the capacity to 'outgrow' him, to abandon her oath to him and move on without him. Yako had become stronger. He had noticed it before, but now Neuro could see the threat in her newfound power. Thus far, she had exercised only the capability to deny his will, but knowing that she could actually discard him was genuinely disquieting.

Looking at her sleeping face, calm within her dream's embrace, Neuro was suddenly very annoyed with his confidence in her strength. As such, he didn't hesitate to flick her in the forehead rather painfully. It would likely bruise.

Moaning sleepily, Yako managed to pry open one eye, sigh and close it again. "Mnn…Neuro…? What is it…? Puzzle…?"

She wasn't even particularly cross about being woken up! In fact, she seemed vaguely prepared to be of service!

"Go back to sleep, louse."

Not about to argue, still being incredibly tired, Yako obeyed. However, Neuro caught her mumbled, "…love you…" as she drifted away again.

Sighing, the Demon laid down his head beside hers to look into her face more carefully, trying to find some answer in her skin and closed eyes.

Truly, she made no sense. She wanted him—it was evident in her actions and words—so why wouldn't she accept him?

He had told her to marry him, yet she was not satisfied with that?

…She wasn't satisfied with that. She had incited his wrath in bringing up her connections to Hellsing, because in doing so made her feel desirable.

She wanted to feel desired? She wanted to be spoiled in some way?

Neuro certainly couldn't imagine spoiling Yako the same way his Father did his Mother. The Emperor had devoted his entire being to pleasing his Wife. Neuro still had too many, far more important things that required his attention on a regular basis.

But the Demon could not deny that his Human had played a large role in providing that many such tasks were completely seamlessly. Truly, he had not eaten nearly so well his first month on his first trek to this world. It was not so difficult to find or obtain food this time around.

Neuro supposed, putting a finger to his chin, that her success warranted rewards. At least every now and again—if it occurred too often, she would become lazy.

Smiling at himself, and maybe a little at his human, he settled in close beside her and closed his eyes to sleep. He would not sleep long, but would allow her to carry on through the night without disturbing her. He actually found lying next to her to be rather comfortable.

How odd.

**~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~**

**Too long. It took far too long for me to get this up here. But it's here, hurrah! What a relief! **

**Thank You All SOOOOOOOO MUCH for your patience! I LOVE YOU LOADS AND BUNCHES! I REALLY DO!**

**Hope to have Chapter 4 up soon. Now that I've climbed this hill, it should be clear skies and wide open space from here!**

**Please let me know if I've disappointed or pleased anyone with this post. Thank You! Good Night!**


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